Adjustable mounting assembly

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/450,306, filed Mar. 6, 2023 and titled “Playback Device Invalid Orientation Detection and Feedback,” and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/412,039, filed Sep. 30, 2022 and titled “Adjustable Mounting Assembly,” the contents of each of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

The present disclosure is related to consumer goods and, more particularly, to methods, systems, products, features, services, and other elements directed to media playback or some aspect thereof.

Options for accessing and listening to digital audio in an out-loud setting were limited until in 2002, when SONOS, Inc. began development of a new type of playback system. Sonos then filed one of its first patent applications in 2003, entitled “Method for Synchronizing Audio Playback between Multiple Networked Devices,” and began offering its first media playback systems for sale in 2005. The Sonos Wireless Home Sound System enables people to experience music from many sources via one or more networked playback devices. Through a software control application installed on a controller (e.g., smartphone, tablet, computer, voice input device), one can play what she wants in any room having a networked playback device. Media content (e.g., songs, podcasts, video sound) can be streamed to playback devices such that each room with a playback device can play back corresponding different media content. In addition, rooms can be grouped together for synchronous playback of the same media content, and/or the same media content can be heard in all rooms synchronously.

Given the ever-growing interest in digital media, there continues to be a need to develop consumer-accessible technologies to further enhance the listening experience.

The drawings are for the purpose of illustrating example embodiments and are not necessarily to scale. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the technology disclosed herein is not limited to the arrangements and/or instrumentalities shown in the drawings.

Embodiments described herein relate to techniques for detecting and handling a playback device that has been placed in an invalid orientation. In this context, an invalid orientation for a playback device may represent a physical orientation that may have an undesirable effect on the audio output of the playback device. For example, an increasing number of playback devices for use within a home media playback system are being designed with upward-firing transducers that enable the output object-based audio content, whereby the playback device can direct some portions of the audio content upward to be reflected off of the ceiling of the listening environment (e.g., in a home theater context). However, if a playback device that includes such upward-firing transducers is rotated about its pitch axis too far upward or too far downward, its ability to direct sound in an upward direction may be adversely impacted. Consequently, it may be advantageous to avoid such an invalid orientation.

As another possibility, an invalid orientation for a playback device may represent a physical orientation of the playback device that is more susceptible to overheating, based on the layout of the physical hardware within the playback device. For instance, certain pitch and/or roll orientations of the playback device, or respective ranges of orientations, may be more conducive to cooling of certain components (e.g., a processor, etc.) than others, and/or may orient the playback device such that any edge-case thermal event that might occur remains contained within the housing of the playback device. Positioning the playback device outside of a valid pitch and/or roll orientation range may increase the playback device's susceptibility to such events, and thus it may be beneficial to avoid an invalid orientation for this reason as well.

For these and other reasons, a playback device may include one or more orientation sensors (e.g., an accelerometer) that it may use to determine its approximate orientation. For instance, a playback device may include an accelerometer that may provide an indication of a rotation of the playback device about one or more axes, such as a pitch axis of the playback device, a roll axis of the playback device. If, based on orientation data from the one or more orientation sensors, the playback device determines that it has rotated beyond a valid orientation range in one of these directions, the playback device may take one or more actions.

As one example, the playback device may take one or more actions to limit the audio playback capability of the playback device. For instance, this may involve reducing the volume of the playback device to a minimal level (e.g., fifteen percent) and imposing this as maximum volume level until the playback device is returned to a valid orientation. Alternatively, the one or more actions to limit the audio playback capability of the playback device may involve restricting the playback device from playing back any audio content until the playback device is returned to a valid orientation.

As another example, a playback device that determines it is in an invalid orientation may take one or more actions to notify a user of the invalid orientation. For instance, the playback device may provide a visual indication via its on-device user interface, such as an LED light illuminated in a particular color, to indicate the invalid orientation. Further, the playback device might provide, or cause another playback device to provide, an audio cue (e.g., a notification tone) to indicate the invalid orientation, separate from any reduction in playback volume or a complete termination of audio playback that might independently indicate the invalid orientation.

Further, in some implementations, the playback device may transmit an indication of the invalid orientation to a control device (e.g., a smartphone) that is running media playback system controller application software for controlling the playback device. This indication from the playback device may cause the control device to present one or more notifications via the controller application to inform a user of the invalid orientation. In some cases, the control device may provide instructions to the user for how to place the playback device in a valid orientation.

In this regard, the instructions for how to place the playback device in a valid orientation may be provided via the control device at various times, such as during an initial setup of the playback device so that the user is aware of the valid and invalid orientations. Thereafter, the control device may display the instructions for how to place the playback device in a valid orientation if the playback device is in an invalid orientation and the user initiates a further configuration of the playback device. For example, before allowing a user to continue with adding the playback device to a stereo pair or other bonded arrangement (e.g., a home theater), the control device may instruct the user to correct the invalid orientation. Similarly, before allowing a user to continue with an audio calibration of the playback device, the control device may instruct the user to correct the invalid orientation. Other examples are also possible.

In accordance with the above, in some example embodiments, disclosed herein is a method that involves a playback device (i) obtaining, via at least one orientation sensor of the playback device, orientation data for the playback device, (ii) based on the obtained orientation data, determining that at least one of (a) a rotation of the playback device about a roll axis of the playback device exceeds a first threshold rotation or (b) a rotation of the playback device about a pitch axis of the playback device exceeds a second threshold rotation, and (iii) based on determining that the rotation of the playback device exceeds at least one of the first threshold rotation or the second threshold rotation, transitioning from operating in a valid orientation mode in which the playback device is allowed to play back audio content to operating in an invalid orientation mode in which the playback device is restricted from playing back audio content.

In another aspect, disclosed herein is a playback device that includes at least one orientation sensor, at least one processor, a non-transitory computer-readable medium, and program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium that are executable by the at least one processor such that the playback device is configured to carry out the functions disclosed herein, including but not limited to the functions of the foregoing method.

In yet another aspect, disclosed herein is a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The non-transitory computer-readable medium is provisioned with program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause a playback device to carry out the functions disclosed herein, including but not limited to the functions of the foregoing method.

In some implementations, an adjustable mounting assembly that is designed for use with the playback device may be limited in its range of motion in a way that corresponds to the valid orientations of the playback device. In this way, the range of valid orientations for the playback device may be enforced when it is coupled to the adjustable mounting assembly. For instance, the playback device may include a mounting interface that includes one or more coupling parts (e.g., screw holes) that correspond to opposing coupling parts (e.g., screws) on a platform of an adjustable mounting assembly, such that the playback device may be coupled to the platform. The platform of the adjustable mounting assembly may in turn be mechanically limited in how far it may rotate in its pitch and/or roll directions.

Examples described herein involve an adjustable mounting assembly that may support an object having substantial weight while still providing the range of movement of a traditional ball joint. In particular, the adjustable mounting assembly discussed below may include a housing with an adjustable collar that may be loosened to permit movement of an internal mounting body with multiple degrees of freedom, and alternatively tightened to position the mounting body in an interlocking engagement with the collar, thereby preventing movement about at least one axis, such as a pitch axis.

Typically, a mounting assembly that utilizes a ball joint connection will provide a high degree of adjustability. The ball joint will generally hold the mounted object in a fixed position due to the friction of the ball against a socket, while still allowing rotation of the ball within the socket if enough force is applied to make an adjustment. Because of how the ball moves within the socket, adjustments may take the form of rotations about one or more of three different rotational axes including pitch, yaw, and roll. A common example of this type of mounting assembly is found in the rear-view mirror on the windshield of most cars, which allows the mirror to be rotated about one or more of a pitch axis (i.e., tilted up or down), a yaw axis (i.e., turned left of right), or a roll axis (i.e., rotated like a screw).

In many applications, a loudspeaker is an object that can benefit from being mounted in an adjustable way. For instance, in the context of a home media playback system, a user might want to place a loudspeaker (also referred to herein as an audio playback device, or playback device) at a particular location for listening purposes, but there may not be a convenience surface (e.g., a table, a shelf, etc.) upon which to place the playback device. One such example may involve a home theater arrangement where a set of playback devices may be placed at designated locations to create a particular surround sound effect. To arrange their playback devices in the correct locations, users will often mount one or more of the devices on a wall, or on a stand. Once mounted, the user may further wish to direct the output of the playback device in a particular direction, depending on the layout of the listening environment. Thus, the direction of the mount may be adjustable to allow for flexibility in this regard. In many implementations, a mounting assembly that includes a ball joint may be suitable for this purpose.

However, as expectations increase for high quality audio reproduction and highly feature-capable playback devices, the physical weight of such playback devices also increases due to the hardware requirements for achieving this level of quality. This, in turn, creates a problem for traditional ball joint type mounting attachments. In particular, the weight of the playback device may be too great for the friction of the ball joint to maintain the playback device in position once the user adjusts it to its desired orientation.

Some solutions to address this issue might involve increasing the radius of the ball to create a greater surface area, and thus more friction, in contact with the socket. However, as the weight of a playback devices increases (e.g., 8 pounds or more), the radius that would be required for the ball to achieve enough friction may increase to several inches or more, and eventually becomes impractical to implement in a mount. Alternatively, more rigid mounting options that can carry the weight of a relatively heavy playback device might be considered, but this may require sacrificing the adjustability that is often preferred for high quality audio playback configurations, and/or overcomplicating the mounting process in order to achieve suitable playback device placement(s).

To address these shortcomings, disclosed herein is a new adjustable mounting assembly that provides the adjustability of a traditional ball joint while also increasing the load carrying capacity of such an assembly. The adjustable mounting assembly may include a housing that includes a two-part collar that is joined by a threaded engagement. An approximately spherical, multi-part body may be positioned within the housing and surrounded by the two parts of the collar, with a stem that extends through an opening in the collar and provides the mounting interface (e.g., a platform) for the playback device. When the threaded engagement of the collar is loosened, the multi-part body may move freely, rotating in each of a pitch, yaw, and roll direction based on the interfaces between the component parts of the body. On the other hand, when the threaded engagement of the collar is tightened, the multi-part body may be positioned into an interlocking engagement with the collar such that rotation in the pitch axis is prevented. For instance, the multi-part body and the collar may include opposing teeth that are engaged when the collar is tightened, but disengaged when the collar is loosened.

In this way, the adjustable mounting assembly may support the weight of a playback device via the interlocking engagement of the multi-part body and the collar. Moreover, the interlocking engagement of the multi-part body and the collar can be achieved even if the multi-part body has been rotated in one or more directions when the collar is tightened, as will be discussed further below. Still further, despite the sophisticated inner workings, the adjustable mounting assembly approximates the ease of use and simplistic visual aesthetics of a traditional ball joint type mounting attachment.

As indicated above, the examples herein involve an adjustable mounting assembly that may support an object having substantial weight while still providing the range of movement of a traditional ball joint. In one aspect, an adjustable mounting assembly is provided that includes (i) a housing comprising a front collar and a rear collar joined by a threaded engagement, the front collar comprising an opening about a roll axis of the mounting assembly, the rear collar comprising teeth oriented toward the front collar, (ii) a front body part positioned within the housing and extending outwardly through the opening, (iii) an intermediate body part positioned within the housing and rotatably coupled, about the roll axis of the mounting assembly, to the front body part, and (iv) a rear body part positioned within the housing and rotatably coupled, about a yaw axis of the mounting assembly, to the intermediate body part, the rear body part comprising teeth oriented toward the rear collar, wherein the mounting assembly is adjustable such that (a) when the threaded engagement between the front collar and the rear collar is tightened to a first position, the teeth of the rear body part are positioned in an interlocking engagement with the teeth of the rear collar, thereby preventing the front body part from rotating about a pitch axis of the mounting assembly, and (b) when the threaded engagement between the front collar and the rear collar is loosened to a second position, the teeth of the rear body part are disengageable from the teeth of the rear collar, thereby allowing the front body part to rotate about the pitch axis of the mounting assembly.

In another aspect, a method of adjusting an adjustable mounting assembly is provided, the adjustable mounting assembly comprising (a) a housing comprising a front collar and a rear collar joined by a threaded engagement, the front collar comprising an opening about a roll axis of the mounting assembly, the rear collar comprising teeth oriented toward the front collar (b) a front body part positioned within the housing and extending outwardly through the opening, (c) an intermediate body part positioned within the housing and rotatably coupled, about the roll axis of the mounting assembly, to the front body part, and (d) a rear body part positioned within the housing and rotatably coupled, about a yaw axis of the mounting assembly, to the intermediate body part, the rear body part comprising teeth oriented toward the rear collar, where the method includes (i) loosening the threaded engagement between the front collar and the rear collar from a first position to a second position, thereby disengaging the teeth of the rear body part from the teeth of the rear collar and allowing the front body part to rotate about a pitch axis of the mounting assembly, (ii) after loosening the threaded engagement to the second position, rotating at least the front body part about the pitch axis of the mounting assembly, and (iii) after rotating at least the front body part about the pitch axis, tightening the threaded engagement between the front collar and the rear collar from the second position to the first position, thereby positioning the teeth of the rear body part in an interlocking engagement with the teeth of the rear collar and preventing the front body part from rotating about the pitch axis.

In yet another aspect, a system is provided. The system includes a playback device and an adjustable mounting assembly, the adjustable mounting assembly comprising (i) a front body part coupled to a platform for receiving a playback device, (ii) an intermediate body part rotatably coupled, about a roll axis of the adjustable mounting assembly, to the front body part, wherein rotation of the front body part about the roll axis of the adjustable mounting assembly is limited by an abutment of the front body part with the intermediate body part, and (iii) a rear body part coupled to the intermediate body part, wherein rotation of the front body part about a pitch axis of the adjustable mounting assembly is limited by an abutment of the rear body part with an interior wall of the adjustable mounting assembly, and wherein the playback device comprises a mounting interface for removably coupling the playback device to the platform of the adjustable mounting assembly, at least one orientation sensor, at least one processor, a non-transitory computer-readable medium, and program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium that are executable by the at least one processor such that the playback device is configured to carry out the functions disclosed herein, including but not limited to the functions of the foregoing method.

While some examples described herein may refer to functions performed by given actors such as “users,” “listeners,” and/or other entities, it should be understood that this is for purposes of explanation only. The claims should not be interpreted to require action by any such example actor unless explicitly required by the language of the claims themselves.

Moreover, some functions are described herein as being performed “based on” or “in response to” another element or function. “Based on” should be understood that one element or function is related to another function or element. “In response to” should be understood that one element or function is a necessary result of another function or element. For the sake of brevity, functions are generally described as being based on another function when a functional link exists; however, such disclosure should be understood as disclosing either type of functional relationship.

1 1 FIGS.A andB 1 FIG.A 100 100 101 100 100 110 110 120 120 130 130 130 a o a c a b illustrate an example configuration of a media playback system (“MPS”)in which one or more embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented. Referring first to, a partial cutaway view of MPSdistributed in an environment(e.g., a house) is shown. The MPSas shown is associated with an example home environment having a plurality of rooms and spaces. The MPScomprises one or more playback devices(identified individually as playback devices-), or more network microphone devices (“NMDs”)(identified individually as NMDs-), and one or more control devices(identified individually as control devicesand).

As used herein the term “playback device” can generally refer to a network device configured to receive, process, and output data of a media playback system. For example, a playback device can be a network device that receives and processes audio content. In some embodiments, a playback device includes one or more transducers or speakers powered by one or more amplifiers. In other embodiments, however, a playback device includes one of (or neither of) the speaker and the amplifier. For instance, a playback device can comprise one or more amplifiers configured to drive one or more speakers external to the playback device via a corresponding wire or cable.

Moreover, as used herein the term NMD (i.e., a “network microphone device”) can generally refer to a network device that is configured for audio detection. In some embodiments, an NMD is a stand-alone device configured primarily for audio detection. In other embodiments, an NMD is incorporated into a playback device (or vice versa).

100 The term “control device” can generally refer to a network device configured to perform functions relevant to facilitating user access, control, and/or configuration of the MPS.

110 120 130 100 110 110 110 100 110 110 110 120 130 100 a b 1 1 FIGS.B-N Each of the playback devicesis configured to receive audio signals or data from one or more media sources (e.g., one or more remote servers, one or more local devices) and play back the received audio signals or data as sound. The one or more NMDsare configured to receive spoken word commands, and the one or more control devicesare configured to receive user input. In response to the received spoken word commands and/or user input, the MPScan play back audio via one or more of the playback devices. In certain embodiments, the playback devicesare configured to commence playback of media content in response to a trigger. For instance, one or more of the playback devicescan be configured to play back a morning playlist upon detection of an associated trigger condition (e.g., presence of a user in a kitchen, detection of a coffee machine operation). In some embodiments, for example, the MPSis configured to play back audio from a first playback device (e.g., the playback device) in synchrony with a second playback device (e.g., the playback device). Interactions between the playback devices, NMDs, and/or control devicesof the MPSconfigured in accordance with the various embodiments of the disclosure are described in greater detail below with respect to.

1 FIG.A 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 100 a b c d e f g h i In the illustrated embodiment of, the environmentcomprises a household having several rooms, spaces, and/or playback zones, including (clockwise from upper left) a Master Bathroom, a Master Bedroom, a Second Bedroom, a Family Room or Den, an Office, a Living Room, a Dining Room, a Kitchen, and an outdoor Patio. While certain embodiments and examples are described below in the context of a home environment, the technologies described herein may be implemented in other types of environments. In some embodiments, for example, the MPScan be implemented in one or more commercial settings (e.g., a restaurant, mall, airport, hotel, a retail or other store), one or more vehicles (e.g., a sports utility vehicle, bus, car, a ship, a boat, an airplane), multiple environments (e.g., a combination of home and vehicle environments), and/or another suitable environment where multi-zone audio may be desirable.

100 101 100 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 1 FIG.A e a b c h g f i The MPScan comprise one or more playback zones, some of which may correspond to the rooms in the environment. The MPScan be established with one or more playback zones, after which additional zones may be added and/or removed to form, for example, the configuration shown in. Each zone may be given a name according to a different room or space such as the Office, Master Bathroom, Master Bedroom, the Second Bedroom, Kitchen, Dining Room, Living Room, and/or the Patio. In some aspects, a single playback zone may include multiple rooms or spaces. In certain aspects, a single room or space may include multiple playback zones.

1 FIG.A 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 110 101 101 110 101 110 110 110 101 110 110 a c e f g h i b d b l m d h j In the illustrated embodiment of, the Master Bathroom, the Second Bedroom, the Office, the Living Room, the Dining Room, the Kitchen, and the outdoor Patioeach include one playback device, and the Master Bedroomand the Deninclude a plurality of playback devices. In the Master Bedroom, the playback devicesandmay be configured, for example, to play back audio content in synchrony as individual ones of playback devices, as a bonded playback zone, as a consolidated playback device, and/or any combination thereof. Similarly, in the Den, the playback devices-can be configured, for instance, to play back audio content in synchrony as individual ones of playback devices, as one or more bonded playback devices, and/or as one or more consolidated playback devices.

1 FIG.B 1 FIG.B 1 FIG.B 1 FIG.A 1 FIG.B 108 140 105 110 1100 110 110 101 101 101 e c i Referring to, the home environment may include additional and/or other computing devices, including local network devices, such as one or more smart illumination devices(), a smart thermostat(), and a local computing device(). Numerous other examples of local network devices (not shown) are also possible, such as doorbells, cameras, smoke alarms, televisions, gaming consoles, garage door openers, etc. In embodiments described below, one or more of the various playback devicesmay be configured as portable playback devices, while others may be configured as stationary playback devices. For example, the headphones() are a portable playback device, while the playback deviceon the bookcase may be a stationary device. As another example, the playback deviceon the Patiomay be a battery-powered device, which may allow it to be transported to various areas within the environment, and outside of the environment, when it is not plugged in to a wall outlet or the like.

1 FIG.B 1 FIG.A 100 160 109 110 101 110 101 110 110 160 j d k d j h With reference still to, the various playback, network microphone, and controller devices and/or other network devices of the MPSmay be coupled to one another via point-to-point connections and/or over other connections, which may be wired and/or wireless, via a local networkthat may include a network router. For example, the playback devicein the Den(), which may be designated as the “Left” device, may have a point-to-point connection with the playback device, which is also in the Denand may be designated as the “Right” device. In a related embodiment, the Left playback devicemay communicate with other network devices, such as the playback device, which may be designated as the “Front” device, via a point-to-point connection and/or other connections via the local network.

160 160 The local networkmay be, for example, a network that interconnects one or more devices within a limited area (e.g., a residence, an office building, a car, an individual's workspace, etc.). The local networkmay include, for example, one or more local area networks (LANs) such as a wireless local area network (WLAN) (e.g., a WIFI network, a Z-Wave network, etc.) and/or one or more personal area networks (PANs) (e.g. a BLUETOOTH network, a wireless USB network, a ZigBee network, an IRDA network, and/or other suitable wireless communication protocol network) and/or a wired network (e.g., a network comprising Ethernet, Universal Serial Bus (USB), and/or another suitable wired communication). As those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, as used herein, “WIFI” can refer to several different communication protocols including, for example, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.12, 802.11ac, 802.11ac, 802.11ad, 802.11af, 802.11ah, 802.11ai, 802.11aj, 802.11aq, 802.11ax, 802.11ay, 802.15, etc. transmitted at 2.4 Gigahertz (GHz), 5 GHz, 6 GHz, and/or another suitable frequency.

100 160 100 The MPSis configured to receive media content from the local network. The received media content can comprise, for example, a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) and/or a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). For instance, in some examples, the MPScan stream, download, or otherwise obtain data from a URI or a URL corresponding to the received media content.

1 FIG.B 1 FIG.A 100 106 107 106 106 101 106 101 As further shown in, the MPSmay be coupled to one or more remote computing devicesvia a wide area network (“WAN”). In some embodiments, each remote computing devicemay take the form of one or more cloud servers. The remote computing devicesmay be configured to interact with computing devices in the environmentin various ways. For example, the remote computing devicesmay be configured to facilitate streaming and/or controlling playback of media content, such as audio, in the environment().

110 120 130 106 190 106 192 190 192 100 110 120 130 100 106 1 FIG.B 1 FIG.B a b a In some implementations, the various playback devices, NMDs, and/or control devicesmay be communicatively coupled to at least one remote computing device associated with a voice assistant service (“VAS”) and/or at least one remote computing device associated with a media content service (“MCS”). For instance, in the illustrated example of, remote computing devicesare associated with a VASand remote computing devicesare associated with an MCS. Although only a single VASand a single MCSare shown in the example offor purposes of clarity, the MPSmay be coupled to any number of different VASes and/or MCSes. In some embodiments, the various playback devices, NMDs, and/or control devicesmay transmit data associated with a received voice input to a VAS configured to (i) process the received voice input data and (ii) transmit a corresponding command to the MPS. In some aspects, for example, the computing devicesmay comprise one or more modules and/or servers of a VAS. In some implementations, VASes may be operated by one or more of SONOS®, AMAZON®, GOOGLE® APPLE®, MICROSOFT®, NUANCE®, or other voice assistant providers. In some implementations, MCSes may be operated by one or more of SPOTIFY®, PANDORA®, AMAZON MUSIC®, YOUTUBE MUSIC, APPLE MUSIC®, GOOGLE PLAY®, or other media content services.

160 100 160 100 160 100 160 100 In some embodiments, the local networkcomprises a dedicated communication network that the MPSuses to transmit messages between individual devices and/or to transmit media content to and from MCSes. In certain embodiments, the local networkis configured to be accessible only to devices in the MPS, thereby reducing interference and competition with other household devices. In other embodiments, however, the local networkcomprises an existing household communication network (e.g., a household WIFI network). In some embodiments, the MPSis implemented without the local network, and the various devices comprising the MPScan communicate with each other, for example, via one or more direct connections, PANs, telecommunication networks (e.g., an LTE network or a 5G network, etc.), and/or other suitable communication links.

100 100 100 100 100 In some embodiments, audio content sources may be regularly added and/or removed from the MPS. In some embodiments, for example, the MPSperforms an indexing of media items when one or more media content sources are updated, added to, and/or removed from the MPS. The MPScan scan identifiable media items in some or all folders and/or directories accessible to the various playback devices and generate or update a media content database comprising metadata (e.g., title, artist, album, track length) and other associated information (e.g., URIs, URLs) for each identifiable media item found. In some embodiments, for example, the media content database is stored on one or more of the various playback devices, network microphone devices, and/or control devices of MPS.

1 FIG.B 106 106 100 106 c c As further shown in, the remote computing devicesfurther include remote computing device(s)configured to perform certain operations, such as remotely facilitating media playback functions, managing device and system status information, directing communications between the devices of the MPSand one or multiple VASes and/or MCSes, among other operations. In one example, the remote computing devicesprovide cloud servers for one or more SONOS Wireless HiFi Systems.

110 110 110 110 120 120 120 120 120 c h k c h k l 1 FIG.A In various implementations, one or more of the playback devicesmay take the form of or include an on-board (e.g., integrated) network microphone device configured to detect sound, including voice utterances from a user. For example, the playback devices-, andinclude or are otherwise equipped with corresponding NMDs-, and, respectively. A playback device that includes or is equipped with an NMD may be referred to herein interchangeably as a playback device or an NMD unless indicated otherwise in the description. In some cases, one or more of the NMDsmay be a stand-alone device. For example, the NMD() may be a stand-alone device. A stand-alone NMD may omit components and/or functionality that is typically included in a playback device, such as a speaker or related electronics. For instance, in such cases, a stand-alone NMD may not produce audio output or may produce limited audio output (e.g., relatively low-quality audio output).

110 120 100 110 120 101 110 110 110 110 110 101 110 101 101 1 FIG.B 1 FIG.A 1 FIG.A e l h g d f k h d c i The various playback and network microphone devicesandof the MPSmay each be associated with a unique name, which may be assigned to the respective devices by a user, such as during setup of one or more of these devices. For instance, as shown in the illustrated example of, a user may assign the name “Bookcase” to playback devicebecause it is physically situated on a bookcase. Similarly, the NMDmay be assigned the named “Island” because it is physically situated on an island countertop in the Kitchen(). Some playback devices may be assigned names according to a zone or room, such as the playback devices,, and, which are named “Bedroom,” “Dining Room,” and “Office,” respectively. Further, certain playback devices may have functionally descriptive names. For example, the playback devicesandare assigned the names “Right” and “Front,” respectively, because these two devices are configured to provide specific audio channels during media playback in the zone of the Den(). The playback devicein the Patiomay be named “Portable” because it is battery-powered and/or readily transportable to different areas of the environment. Other naming conventions are possible.

101 As discussed above, an NMD may detect and process sound from its environment, including audio output played by itself, played by other devices in the environment, and/or sound that includes background noise mixed with speech spoken by a person in the NMD's vicinity. For example, as sounds are detected by the NMD in the environment, the NMD may process the detected sound to determine if the sound includes speech that contains voice input intended for the NMD and ultimately a particular VAS. For example, the NMD may identify whether speech includes a wake word (also referred to herein as an activation word) associated with a particular VAS.

1 FIG.B 1 FIG.A 120 190 160 109 190 190 105 110 120 130 106 100 100 c In the illustrated example of, the NMDsare configured to interact with the VASover the local networkand/or the router. Interactions with the VASmay be initiated, for example, when an NMD identifies in the detected sound a potential wake word. The identification causes a wake-word event, which in turn causes the NMD to begin transmitting detected-sound data to the VAS. In some implementations, the various local network devices,,, and() and/or remote computing devicesof the MPSmay exchange various feedback, information, instructions, and/or related data with the remote computing devices associated with the selected VAS. Such exchanges may be related to or independent of transmitted messages containing voice inputs. In some embodiments, the remote computing device(s) and the MPSmay exchange data via communication paths as described herein and/or using a metadata exchange channel as described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,499,146, issued Nov. 13, 2019 and titled “Voice Control of a Media Playback System,” which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

190 190 190 100 190 190 190 190 192 192 100 190 190 100 100 192 Upon receiving the stream of sound data, the VASmay determine if there is voice input in the streamed data from the NMD, and if so the VASmay also determine an underlying intent in the voice input. The VASmay next transmit a response back to the MPS, which can include transmitting the response directly to the NMD that caused the wake-word event. The response is typically based on the intent that the VASdetermined was present in the voice input. As an example, in response to the VASreceiving a voice input with an utterance to “Play Hey Jude by The Beatles,” the VASmay determine that the underlying intent of the voice input is to initiate playback and further determine that intent of the voice input is to play the particular song “Hey Jude” performed by The Beatles. After these determinations, the VASmay transmit a command to a particular MCSto retrieve content (i.e., the song “Hey Jude” by The Beatles), and that MCS, in turn, provides (e.g., streams) this content directly to the NIPSor indirectly via the VAS. In some implementations, the VASmay transmit to the NIPSa command that causes the MPSitself to retrieve the content from the MCS.

110 101 120 110 120 e b e b 1 FIG.A In certain implementations, NMDs may facilitate arbitration amongst one another when voice input is identified in speech detected by two or more NMDs located within proximity of one another. For example, the NMD-equipped playback devicein the environment() is in relatively close proximity to the NMD-equipped Living Room playback device, and both devicesandmay at least sometimes detect the same sound. In such cases, this may require arbitration as to which device is ultimately responsible for providing detected-sound data to the remote VAS. Examples of arbitrating between NMDs may be found, for example, in previously referenced U.S. Pat. No. 10,499,146.

120 101 110 120 l h d l 1 FIG.A In certain implementations, an NMD may be assigned to, or otherwise associated with, a designated or default playback device that may not include an NMD. For example, the Island NMDin the Kitchen() may be assigned to the Dining Room playback device, which is in relatively close proximity to the Island NMD. In practice, an NMD may direct an assigned playback device to play audio in response to a remote VAS receiving a voice input from the NMD to play the audio, which the NMD might have sent to the VAS in response to a user speaking a command to play a certain song, album, playlist, etc. Additional details regarding assigning NMDs and playback devices as designated or default devices may be found, for example, in previously referenced U.S. Pat. No. 10,499,146.

100 100 110 120 130 110 120 160 110 120 106 110 120 130 160 1 FIG.B a c Further aspects relating to the different components of the example MPSand how the different components may interact to provide a user with a media experience may be found in the following sections. While discussions herein may generally refer to the example MPS, technologies described herein are not limited to applications within, among other things, the home environment described above. For instance, the technologies described herein may be useful in other home environment configurations comprising more or fewer of any of the playback devices, network microphone devices, and/or control devices. For example, the technologies herein may be utilized within an environment having a single playback deviceand/or a single NMD. In some examples of such cases, the local network() may be eliminated and the single playback deviceand/or the single NMDmay communicate directly with the remote computing devices-. In some embodiments, a telecommunication network (e.g., an LTE network, a 5G network, etc.) may communicate with the various playback devices, network microphone devices, and/or control devicesindependent of the local network.

1 FIG.C 110 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 a a b a b b b a b is a block diagram of the playback devicecomprising an input/output. The input/outputcan include an analog I/O(e.g., one or more wires, cables, and/or other suitable communication links configured to carry analog signals) and/or a digital I/O(e.g., one or more wires, cables, or other suitable communication links configured to carry digital signals). In some embodiments, the analog I/Ois an audio line-in input connection comprising, for example, an auto-detecting 3.5 mm audio line-in connection. In some embodiments, the digital I/Ocomprises a Sony/Philips Digital Interface Format (S/PDIF) communication interface and/or cable and/or a Toshiba Link (TOSLINK) cable. In some embodiments, the digital I/Ocomprises a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) interface and/or cable. In some embodiments, the digital I/Oincludes one or more wireless communication links comprising, for example, a radio frequency (RF), infrared, WIFI, BLUETOOTH, or another suitable communication protocol. In certain embodiments, the analog I/Oand the digital I/Ocomprise interfaces (e.g., ports, plugs, jacks) configured to receive connectors of cables transmitting analog and digital signals, respectively, without necessarily including cables.

110 150 111 150 150 110 120 130 150 150 110 111 160 a a The playback device, for example, can receive media content (e.g., audio content comprising music and/or other sounds) from a local audio sourcevia the input/output(e.g., a cable, a wire, a PAN, a BLUETOOTH connection, an ad hoc wired or wireless communication network, and/or another suitable communication link). The local audio sourcecan comprise, for example, a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop computer) or another suitable audio component (e.g., a television, a desktop computer, an amplifier, a phonograph, a Blu-ray player, a memory storing digital media files). In some aspects, the local audio sourceincludes local music libraries on a smartphone, a computer, a networked-attached storage (NAS), and/or another suitable device configured to store media files. In certain embodiments, one or more of the playback devices, NMDs, and/or control devicescomprise the local audio source. In other embodiments, however, the media playback system omits the local audio sourcealtogether. In some embodiments, the playback devicedoes not include an input/outputand receives all audio content via the local network.

110 112 113 114 114 112 150 111 106 160 114 110 110 a a c a a 1 FIG.B 1 1 FIGS.F andG The playback devicefurther comprises electronics, a user interface(e.g., one or more buttons, knobs, dials, touch-sensitive surfaces, displays, touchscreens), and one or more transducers(e.g., a driver), referred to hereinafter as “the transducers.” The electronicsis configured to receive audio from an audio source (e.g., the local audio source) via the input/output, one or more of the computing devices-via the local network(), amplify the received audio, and output the amplified audio for playback via one or more of the transducers. In some embodiments, the playback deviceoptionally includes one or more microphones (e.g., a single microphone, a plurality of microphones, a microphone array) (hereinafter referred to as “the microphones”). In certain embodiments, for example, the playback devicehaving one or more of the optional microphones can operate as an NMD configured to receive voice input from a user and correspondingly perform one or more operations based on the received voice input, which will be discussed in more detail further below with respect to.

1 FIG.C 112 112 112 112 112 112 112 112 112 112 112 a a b c d g h h i j In the illustrated embodiment of, the electronicscomprise one or more processors(referred to hereinafter as “the processors”), memory, software components, a network interface, one or more audio processing components, one or more audio amplifiers(referred to hereinafter as “the amplifiers”), power components(e.g., one or more power supplies, power cables, power receptacles, batteries, induction coils, Power-over Ethernet (POE) interfaces, and/or other suitable sources of electric power), and one or more orientation sensors(e.g., an accelerometer, gyroscope, inertial measurement unit, etc.).

112 112 110 112 k a 1 1 FIGS.F andG In some embodiments, the electronicsoptionally include one or more other components(e.g., one or more other sensors, video displays, touchscreens, battery charging bases). In some embodiments, the playback deviceand electronicsmay further include one or more voice processing components that are operably coupled to one or more microphones, and other components as described below with reference to.

112 112 112 112 112 110 106 110 110 110 120 110 110 a b c a b a a c a a a 1 FIG.B The processorscan comprise clock-driven computing component(s) configured to process data, and the memorycan comprise a computer-readable medium (e.g., a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium, data storage loaded with one or more of the software components) configured to store instructions for performing various operations and/or functions. The processorsare configured to execute the instructions stored on the memoryto perform one or more of the operations. The operations can include, for example, causing the playback deviceto retrieve audio data from an audio source (e.g., one or more of the computing devices-()), and/or another one of the playback devices. In some embodiments, the operations further include causing the playback deviceto send audio data to another one of the playback devicesand/or another device (e.g., one of the NMDs). Certain embodiments include operations causing the playback deviceto pair with another of the one or more playback devicesto enable a multi-channel audio environment (e.g., a stereo pair, a bonded zone).

112 110 110 110 110 a a a The processorscan be further configured to perform operations causing the playback deviceto synchronize playback of audio content with another of the one or more playback devices. As those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, during synchronous playback of audio content on a plurality of playback devices, a listener will preferably be unable to perceive time-delay differences between playback of the audio content by the playback deviceand the other one or more other playback devices. Additional details regarding audio playback synchronization among playback devices and/or zones can be found, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 8,234,395 entitled “System and method for synchronizing operations among a plurality of independently clocked digital data processing devices,” which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

112 110 110 110 110 110 112 110 120 130 100 100 100 b a a a a a b In some embodiments, the memoryis further configured to store data associated with the playback device, such as one or more zones and/or zone groups of which the playback deviceis a member, audio sources accessible to the playback device, and/or a playback queue that the playback device(and/or another of the one or more playback devices) can be associated with. The stored data can comprise one or more state variables that are periodically updated and used to describe a state of the playback device. The memorycan also include data associated with a state of one or more of the other devices (e.g., the playback devices, NMDs, control devices) of the MPS. In some aspects, for example, the state data is shared during predetermined intervals of time (e.g., every 5 seconds, every 10 seconds, every 60 seconds) among at least a portion of the devices of the MPS, so that one or more of the devices have the most recent data associated with the MPS.

112 110 112 112 112 110 d a d d a. The network interfaceis configured to facilitate a transmission of data between the playback deviceand one or more other devices on a data network. The network interfaceis configured to transmit and receive data corresponding to media content (e.g., audio content, video content, text, photographs) and other signals (e.g., non-transitory signals) comprising digital packet data including an Internet Protocol (IP)-based source address and/or an IP-based destination address. The network interfacecan parse the digital packet data such that the electronicsproperly receives and processes the data destined for the playback device

1 FIG.C 1 FIG.B 112 112 112 112 110 120 130 160 112 112 112 112 112 112 112 111 d e e e d f d f e d In the illustrated embodiment of, the network interfacecomprises one or more wireless interfaces(referred to hereinafter as “the wireless interface”). The wireless interface(e.g., a suitable interface comprising one or more antennae) can be configured to wirelessly communicate with one or more other devices (e.g., one or more of the other playback devices, NMDs, and/or control devices) that are communicatively coupled to the local network() in accordance with a suitable wireless communication protocol (e.g., WIFI, BLUETOOTH, LTE). In some embodiments, the network interfaceoptionally includes a wired interface(e.g., an interface or receptacle configured to receive a network cable such as an Ethernet, a USB-A, USB-C, and/or Thunderbolt cable) configured to communicate over a wired connection with other devices in accordance with a suitable wired communication protocol. In certain embodiments, the network interfaceincludes the wired interfaceand excludes the wireless interface. In some embodiments, the electronicsexcludes the network interfacealtogether and transmits and receives media content and/or other data via another communication path (e.g., the input/output).

112 112 111 112 112 112 112 112 112 112 112 g d g g a g a b The audio processing componentsare configured to process and/or filter data comprising media content received by the electronics(e.g., via the input/outputand/or the network interface) to produce output audio signals. In some embodiments, the audio processing componentscomprise, for example, one or more digital-to-analog converters (DAC), audio preprocessing components, audio enhancement components, digital signal processors (DSPs), and/or other suitable audio processing components, modules, circuits, etc. In certain embodiments, one or more of the audio processing componentscan comprise one or more subcomponents of the processors. In some embodiments, the electronicsomits the audio processing components. In some aspects, for example, the processorsexecute instructions stored on the memoryto perform audio processing operations to produce the output audio signals.

112 112 112 112 114 112 112 112 114 112 112 114 112 112 h g a h h h h h h. The amplifiersare configured to receive and amplify the audio output signals produced by the audio processing componentsand/or the processors. The amplifierscan comprise electronic devices and/or components configured to amplify audio signals to levels sufficient for driving one or more of the transducers. In some embodiments, for example, the amplifiersinclude one or more switching or class-D power amplifiers. In other embodiments, however, the amplifiers include one or more other types of power amplifiers (e.g., linear gain power amplifiers, class-A amplifiers, class-B amplifiers, class-AB amplifiers, class-C amplifiers, class-D amplifiers, class-E amplifiers, class-F amplifiers, class-G and/or class H amplifiers, and/or another suitable type of power amplifier). In certain embodiments, the amplifierscomprise a suitable combination of two or more of the foregoing types of power amplifiers. Moreover, in some embodiments, individual ones of the amplifierscorrespond to individual ones of the transducers. In other embodiments, however, the electronicsincludes a single one of the amplifiersconfigured to output amplified audio signals to a plurality of the transducers. In some other embodiments, the electronicsomits the amplifiers

112 110 110 110 i a a a In some implementations, the power componentsof the playback devicemay additionally include an internal power source (e.g., one or more batteries) configured to power the playback devicewithout a physical connection to an external power source. When equipped with the internal power source, the playback devicemay operate independent of an external power source. In some such implementations, an external power source interface may be configured to facilitate charging the internal power source. As discussed before, a playback device comprising an internal power source may be referred to herein as a “portable playback device.” On the other hand, a playback device that operates using an external power source may be referred to herein as a “stationary playback device,” although such a device may in fact be moved around a home or other environment.

113 130 113 113 1 FIG.A The user interfacemay facilitate user interactions independent of or in conjunction with user interactions facilitated by one or more of the control devices(). In various embodiments, the user interfaceincludes one or more physical buttons and/or supports graphical interfaces provided on touch sensitive screen(s) and/or surface(s), among other possibilities, for a user to directly provide input. The user interfacemay further include one or more light components (e.g., LEDs) and the speakers to provide visual and/or audio feedback to a user.

114 112 114 114 114 114 114 114 h The transducers(e.g., one or more speakers and/or speaker drivers) receive the amplified audio signals from the amplifierand render or output the amplified audio signals as sound (e.g., audible sound waves having a frequency between about 20 Hertz (Hz) and 20 kilohertz (kHz)). In some embodiments, the transducerscan comprise a single transducer. In other embodiments, however, the transducerscomprise a plurality of audio transducers. In some embodiments, the transducerscomprise more than one type of transducer. For example, the transducerscan include one or more low frequency transducers (e.g., subwoofers, woofers), mid-range frequency transducers (e.g., mid-range transducers, mid-woofers), and one or more high frequency transducers (e.g., one or more tweeters). As used herein, “low frequency” can generally refer to audible frequencies below about 500 Hz, “mid-range frequency” can generally refer to audible frequencies between about 500 Hz and about 2 kHz, and “high frequency” can generally refer to audible frequencies above 2 kHz. In certain embodiments, however, one or more of the transducerscomprise transducers that do not adhere to the foregoing frequency ranges. For example, one of the transducersmay comprise a mid-woofer transducer configured to output sound at frequencies between about 200 Hz and about 5 kHz.

110 110 a a In some embodiments, the playback devicemay include a speaker interface for connecting the playback device to external speakers. In other embodiments, the playback devicemay include an audio interface for connecting the playback device to an external audio amplifier or audio-visual receiver.

110 110 111 112 113 114 1 FIG.D p By way of illustration, SONOS, Inc. presently offers (or has offered) for sale certain playback devices including, for example, a “SONOS ONE,” “PLAY:1,” “PLAY:3,” “PLAY:5,” “PLAYBAR,” “PLAYBASE,” “CONNECT:AMP,” “CONNECT,” “SUB,” “BEAM,” “ARC,” “MOVE,” and “ROAM,” among others. Other suitable playback devices may additionally or alternatively be used to implement the playback devices of example embodiments disclosed herein. Additionally, one of ordinary skilled in the art will appreciate that a playback device is not limited to the examples described herein or to SONOS product offerings. In some embodiments, for example, one or more of the playback devicesmay comprise a docking station and/or an interface configured to interact with a docking station for personal mobile media playback devices. In certain embodiments, a playback device may be integral to another device or component such as a television, a lighting fixture, or some other device for indoor or outdoor use. In some embodiments, a playback device may omit a user interface and/or one or more transducers. For example,is a block diagram of a playback devicecomprising the input/outputand electronicswithout the user interfaceor transducers.

1 FIG.E 1 FIG.C 1 FIG.A 1 FIG.C 1 FIG.B 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 q a i a i q a i q a l m a i a i i q is a block diagram of a bonded playback devicecomprising the playback device() sonically bonded with the playback device(e.g., a subwoofer) (). In the illustrated embodiment, the playback devicesandare separate ones of the playback deviceshoused in separate enclosures. In some embodiments, however, the bonded playback devicecomprises a single enclosure housing both the playback devicesand. The bonded playback devicecan be configured to process and reproduce sound differently than an unbonded playback device (e.g., the playback deviceof) and/or paired or bonded playback devices (e.g., the playback devicesandof). In some embodiments, for example, the playback deviceis full-range playback device configured to render low frequency, mid-range frequency, and high frequency audio content, and the playback deviceis a subwoofer configured to render low frequency audio content. In some aspects, the playback device, when bonded with playback device, is configured to render only the mid-range and high frequency components of a particular audio content, while the playback devicerenders the low frequency component of the particular audio content. In some embodiments, the bonded playback deviceincludes additional playback devices and/or another bonded playback device.

110 200 200 110 200 202 204 204 204 204 110 204 204 208 200 206 206 204 204 206 206 204 204 2 FIG. 2 FIG. a b a b a b a b a b a b a b In some embodiments, one or more of the playback devicesmay take the form of a wired and/or wireless headphone device (e.g., over-ear headphones, on-ear headphones, in-ear earphones, etc.). For instance,shows an example headset assembly(“headset”) for such an implementation of one of the playback devices. As shown, the headsetincludes a headbandthat couples a first earcupto a second earcup. Each of the earcupsandmay house any portion of the electronic components in the playback device, such as one or more speakers. Further, one or both of the earcupsandmay include a user interface for controlling audio playback, volume level, and other functions. The user interface may include any of a variety of control elements such as a physical button, a slider (not shown), a knob (not shown), and/or a touch control surface (not shown). As shown in, the headsetmay further include ear cushionsandthat are coupled to earcupsand, respectively. The ear cushionsandmay provide a soft barrier between the head of a user and the earcupsand, respectively, to improve user comfort and/or provide acoustic isolation from the ambient (e.g., passive noise reduction (PNR)).

2 FIG. 201 130 130 201 210 201 130 201 130 210 130 210 a a b a a c a a As described in greater detail below, the electronic components of a playback device may include one or more network interface components (not shown in) to facilitate wireless communication over one more communication links. For instance, a playback device may communicate over a first communication link(e.g., a BLUETOOTH link) with one of the control devices, such as the control device, and/or over a second communication link(e.g., a WIFI or cellular link) with one or more other computing devices(e.g., a network router and/or a remote server). As another possibility, a playback device may communicate over multiple communication links, such as the first communication linkwith the control deviceand a third communication link(e.g., a WIFI or cellular link) between the control deviceand the one or more other computing devices. Thus, the control devicemay function as an intermediary between the playback device and the one or more other computing devices, in some embodiments.

In some instances, the headphone device may take the form of a hearable device. Hearable devices may include those headphone devices (including ear-level devices) that are configured to provide a hearing enhancement function while also supporting playback of media content (e.g., streaming media content from a user device over a PAN, streaming media content from a streaming music service provider over a WLAN and/or a cellular network connection, etc.). In some instances, a hearable device may be implemented as an in-ear headphone device that is configured to playback an amplified version of at least some sounds detected from an external environment (e.g., all sound, select sounds such as human speech, etc.)

110 110 It should be appreciated that one or more of the playback devicesmay take the form of other wearable devices separate and apart from a headphone device. Wearable devices may include those devices configured to be worn about a portion of a user (e.g., a head, a neck, a torso, an arm, a wrist, a finger, a leg, an ankle, etc.). For example, the playback devicesmay take the form of a pair of glasses including a frame front (e.g., configured to hold one or more lenses), a first temple rotatably coupled to the frame front, and a second temple rotatable coupled to the frame front. In this example, the pair of glasses may comprise one or more transducers integrated into at least one of the first and second temples and configured to project sound towards an ear of the subject.

1 FIG.F 1 1 FIGS.A andB 1 FIG.C 1 FIG.C 1 FIG.C 1 FIG.C 1 FIG.C 120 120 124 110 112 112 115 120 110 113 114 120 110 112 114 120 120 115 124 112 120 112 112 112 120 a a a a b a a a g a a a a b a is a block diagram of the NMD(). The NMDincludes one or more voice processing componentsand several components described with respect to the playback device() including the processors, the memory, and the microphones. The NMDoptionally comprises other components also included in the playback device(), such as the user interfaceand/or the transducers. In some embodiments, the NMDis configured as a media playback device (e.g., one or more of the playback devices), and further includes, for example, one or more of the audio processing components(), the transducers, and/or other playback device components. In certain embodiments, the NMDcomprises an Internet of Things (IoT) device such as, for example, a thermostat, alarm panel, fire and/or smoke detector, etc. In some embodiments, the NMDcomprises the microphones, the voice processing components, and only a portion of the components of the electronicsdescribed above with respect to. In some aspects, for example, the NMDincludes the processorand the memory(), while omitting one or more other components of the electronics. In some embodiments, the NMDincludes additional components (e.g., one or more sensors, cameras, thermometers, barometers, hygrometers).

1 FIG.G 1 FIG.F 1 FIG.B 110 120 110 110 115 124 115 110 124 115 115 110 110 130 130 110 130 r d r a r r r c c r a In some embodiments, an NMD can be integrated into a playback device.is a block diagram of a playback devicecomprising an NMD. The playback devicecan comprise any or all of the components of the playback deviceand further include the microphonesand voice processing components(). The microphonesare configured to detect sound (i.e., acoustic waves) in the environment of the playback device, which may then be provided to voice processing components. More specifically, each microphoneis configured to detect sound and convert the sound into a digital or analog signal representative of the detected sound, which can then cause the voice processing component to perform various functions based on the detected sound, as described in greater detail below. In some implementations, the microphonesmay be arranged as an array of microphones (e.g., an array of six microphones). In some implementations the playback devicemay include fewer than six microphones or more than six microphones. The playback deviceoptionally includes an integrated control device. The control devicecan comprise, for example, a user interface configured to receive user input (e.g., touch input, voice input) without a separate control device. In other embodiments, however, the playback devicereceives commands from another control device (e.g., the control deviceof).

124 115 190 124 124 124 124 112 1 FIG.B a. In operation, the voice-processing componentsare generally configured to detect and process sound received via the microphones, identify potential voice input in the detected sound, and extract detected-sound data to enable a VAS, such as the VAS(), to process voice input identified in the detected-sound data. The voice processing componentsmay include one or more analog-to-digital converters, an acoustic echo canceller (“AEC”), a spatial processor (e.g., one or more multi-channel Wiener filters, one or more other filters, and/or one or more beam former components), one or more buffers (e.g., one or more circular buffers), one or more wake-word engines, one or more voice extractors, and/or one or more speech processing components (e.g., components configured to recognize a voice of a particular user or a particular set of users associated with a household), among other example voice processing components. In example implementations, the voice processing componentsmay include or otherwise take the form of one or more DSPs or one or more modules of a DSP. In this respect, certain voice processing componentsmay be configured with particular parameters (e.g., gain and/or spectral parameters) that may be modified or otherwise tuned to achieve particular functions. In some implementations, one or more of the voice processing componentsmay be a subcomponent of the processor

124 100 In some implementations, the voice-processing componentsmay detect and store a user's voice profile, which may be associated with a user account of the MPS. For example, voice profiles may be stored as and/or compared to variables stored in a set of command information or data table. The voice profile may include aspects of the tone of frequency of a user's voice and/or other unique aspects of the user's voice, such as those described in previously-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 10,499,146.

1 FIG.F 1 FIG.A 115 101 120 120 115 120 110 100 110 120 130 100 115 124 a a a Referring again to, the microphonesare configured to acquire, capture, and/or receive sound from an environment (e.g., the environmentof) and/or a room in which the NMDis positioned. The received sound can include, for example, vocal utterances, audio played back by the NMDand/or another playback device, background voices, ambient sounds, etc. The microphonesconvert the received sound into electrical signals to produce microphone data. The NMDmay use the microphone data (or transmit the microphone data to another device) for calibrating the audio characteristics of one or more playback devicesin the MPS. As another example, one or more of the playback devices, NMDs, and/or control devicesof the MPSmay transmit audio tones (e.g., ultrasonic tones, infrasonic tones) that may be detectable by the microphonesof other devices, and which may convey information such as a proximity and/or identity of the transmitting device, a media playback system command, etc. As yet another example, the voice processing componentsmay receive and analyze the microphone data to determine whether a voice input is present in the microphone data. The voice input can comprise, for example, an activation word followed by an utterance including a user request. As those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, an activation word is a word or other audio cue that signifying a user voice input. For instance, in querying the AMAZON® VAS, a user might speak the activation word “Alexa.” Other examples include “Ok, Google” for invoking the GOOGLE® VAS and “Hey, Siri” for invoking the APPLE® VAS.

124 101 1 FIG.A After detecting the activation word, voice processing componentsmonitor the microphone data for an accompanying user request in the voice input. The user request may include, for example, a command to control a third-party device, such as a thermostat (e.g., NEST® thermostat), an illumination device (e.g., a PHILIPS HUE® lighting device), or a media playback device (e.g., a Sonos® playback device). For example, a user might speak the activation word “Alexa” followed by the utterance “set the thermostat to 68 degrees” to set a temperature in a home (e.g., the environmentof). The user might speak the same activation word followed by the utterance “turn on the living room” to turn on illumination devices in a living room area of the home. The user may similarly speak an activation word followed by a request to play a particular song, an album, or a playlist of music on a playback device in the home.

1 FIG.H 1 1 FIGS.A andB 1 FIG.G 130 130 100 100 130 130 130 100 130 100 110 120 a a a a a a is a partially schematic diagram of one example of the control device(). As used herein, the term “control device” can be used interchangeably with “controller,” “controller device,” or “control system.” Among other features, the control deviceis configured to receive user input related to the MPSand, in response, cause one or more devices in the MPSto perform an action(s) and/or an operation(s) corresponding to the user input. In the illustrated embodiment, the control devicecomprises a smartphone (e.g., an iPhone™, an Android phone) on which media playback system controller application software is installed. In some embodiments, the control devicecomprises, for example, a tablet (e.g., an iPad™), a computer (e.g., a laptop computer, a desktop computer), and/or another suitable device (e.g., a television, an automobile audio head unit, an IoT device). In certain embodiments, the control devicecomprises a dedicated controller for the MPS. In other embodiments, as described above with respect to, the control deviceis integrated into another device in the MPS(e.g., one more of the playback devices, NMDs, and/or other suitable devices configured to communicate over a network).

130 132 133 134 135 132 132 132 132 132 132 132 100 132 132 132 100 132 132 100 a a a b c d a b a c b c The control deviceincludes electronics, a user interface, one or more speakers, and one or more microphones. The electronicscomprise one or more processors(referred to hereinafter as “the processor(s)”), a memory, software components, and a network interface. The processor(s)can be configured to perform functions relevant to facilitating user access, control, and configuration of the MPS. The memorycan comprise data storage that can be loaded with one or more of the software components executable by the processorsto perform those functions. The software componentscan comprise applications and/or other executable software configured to facilitate control of the MPS. The memorycan be configured to store, for example, the software components, media playback system controller application software, and/or other data associated with the MPSand the user.

132 130 100 132 132 110 120 130 106 133 132 130 110 132 110 d a d d d a d 1 FIG.B 1 1 FIGS.J throughN The network interfaceis configured to facilitate network communications between the control deviceand one or more other devices in the MPS, and/or one or more remote devices. In some embodiments, the network interfaceis configured to operate according to one or more suitable communication industry standards (e.g., infrared, radio, wired standards including IEEE 802.3, wireless standards including IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.12, 802.11ac, 802.15, 4G, LTE). The network interfacecan be configured, for example, to transmit data to and/or receive data from the playback devices, the NMDs, other ones of the control devices, one of the computing devicesof, devices comprising one or more other media playback systems, etc. The transmitted and/or received data can include, for example, playback device control commands, state variables, playback zone and/or zone group configurations. For instance, based on user input received at the user interface, the network interfacecan transmit a playback device control command (e.g., volume control, audio playback control, audio content selection) from the control deviceto one or more of the playback devices. The network interfacecan also transmit and/or receive configuration changes such as, for example, adding/removing one or more playback devicesto/from a zone, adding/removing one or more zones to/from a zone group, forming a bonded or consolidated player, separating one or more playback devices from a bonded or consolidated player, among other changes. Additional description of zones and groups can be found below with respect to.

133 100 133 133 133 133 133 133 133 133 133 133 133 133 133 a b c d e c d d f g 1 FIG.I The user interfaceis configured to receive user input and can facilitate control of the MPS. The user interfaceincludes media content art(e.g., album art, lyrics, videos), a playback status indicator(e.g., an elapsed and/or remaining time indicator), media content information region, a playback control region, and a zone indicator. The media content information regioncan include a display of relevant information (e.g., title, artist, album, genre, release year) about media content currently playing and/or media content in a queue or playlist. The playback control regioncan include selectable (e.g., via touch input and/or via a cursor or another suitable selector) icons to cause one or more playback devices in a selected playback zone or zone group to perform playback actions such as, for example, play or pause, fast forward, rewind, skip to next, skip to previous, enter/exit shuffle mode, enter/exit repeat mode, enter/exit cross fade mode, etc. The playback control regionmay also include selectable icons to modify equalization settings, playback volume, and/or other suitable playback actions. In the illustrated embodiment, the user interfacecomprises a display presented on a touch screen interface of a smartphone (e.g., an iPhone™, an Android phone, etc.). In some embodiments, however, user interfaces of varying formats, styles, and interactive sequences may alternatively be implemented on one or more network devices to provide comparable control access to a media playback system.shows two additional example user interface displaysandof user interface. Additional examples are also possible.

134 130 130 110 130 120 135 a a a The one or more speakers(e.g., one or more transducers) can be configured to output sound to the user of the control device. In some embodiments, the one or more speakers comprise individual transducers configured to correspondingly output low frequencies, mid-range frequencies, and/or high frequencies. In some aspects, for example, the control deviceis configured as a playback device (e.g., one of the playback devices). Similarly, in some embodiments the control deviceis configured as an NMD (e.g., one of the NMDs), receiving voice commands and other sounds via the one or more microphones.

135 135 130 130 134 135 130 132 133 a a a The one or more microphonescan comprise, for example, one or more condenser microphones, electret condenser microphones, dynamic microphones, and/or other suitable types of microphones or transducers. In some embodiments, two or more of the microphonesare arranged to capture location information of an audio source (e.g., voice, audible sound) and/or configured to facilitate filtering of background noise. Moreover, in certain embodiments, the control deviceis configured to operate as playback device and an NMD. In other embodiments, however, the control deviceomits the one or more speakersand/or the one or more microphones. For instance, the control devicemay comprise a device (e.g., a thermostat, an IoT device, a network device, etc.) comprising a portion of the electronicsand the user interface(e.g., a touch screen) without any speakers or microphones.

1 1 1 1 1 FIGS.J,K,L,M, andN 1 FIG.N 1 FIG.A 110 101 110 110 110 110 120 110 110 110 110 108 108 g c l m a n c h i j k a b show example configurations of playback devices in zones and zone groups. Referring first to, in one example, a single playback device may belong to a zone. For example, the playback devicein the Second Bedroom() may belong to Zone C. In some implementations described below, multiple playback devices may be “bonded” to form a “bonded pair” which together form a single zone. For example, the playback device(e.g., a left playback device) can be bonded to the playback device(e.g., a right playback device) to form Zone B. Bonded playback devices may have different playback responsibilities (e.g., channel responsibilities), as will be described in more detail further below. In other implementations, multiple playback devices may be merged to form a single zone. As one example, the playback devicecan be bonded to the playback deviceand the NMDto form Zone A. As another example, the playback device(e.g., a front playback device) may be merged with the playback device(e.g., a subwoofer), and the playback devicesand(e.g., left and right surround speakers, respectively) to form a single Zone D. In yet other implementations, one or more playback zones can be merged to form a zone group (which may also be referred to herein as a merged group). As one example, the playback zones Zone A and Zone B can be merged to form Zone Group. As another example, the playback zones Zone G and Zone H can be merged to form Zone Group. The merged playback zones Zone G and Zone H may not be specifically assigned different playback responsibilities. That is, the merged playback zones Zone G and Zone H may, aside from playing audio content in synchrony, each play audio content as they would if they were not merged and operating as independent zones.

100 Each zone in the MPSmay be represented for control as a single user interface (UI) entity. For example, Zone A may be represented as a single entity named Master Bathroom. Zone B may be represented as a single entity named Master Bedroom. Zone C may be represented as a single entity named Second Bedroom.

1 FIG.J 110 110 110 110 l m l k In some implementations, as mentioned above playback devices that are bonded may have different playback responsibilities, such as responsibilities for certain audio channels. For example, as shown in, the playback devicesandmay be bonded so as to produce or enhance a stereo effect of audio content. In this example, the playback devicemay be configured to play a left channel audio component, while the playback devicemay be configured to play a right channel audio component. In some implementations, such stereo bonding may be referred to as “pairing.”

1 FIG.K 1 FIG.L 1 FIG.N 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 h i h i h h i j k j k h i j k Additionally, bonded playback devices may have additional and/or different respective speaker drivers. As shown in, the playback devicenamed Front may be bonded with the playback devicenamed SUB. The Front devicecan be configured to render a range of mid to high frequencies and the SUB playback devicecan be configured to render low frequencies. When unbonded, however, the Front devicecan be configured to render a full range of frequencies. As another example,shows the Front and SUB playback devicesandfurther bonded with Left and Right playback devicesand, respectively. In some implementations, the Right and Left devicesandcan be configured to form surround or “satellite” channels of a home theater system. The bonded playback devices,,, andmay form a single Zone D ().

110 110 110 110 110 110 a n a n a n In other implementations, playback devices that are merged may not have assigned playback responsibilities and may each render the full range of audio content of which the respective playback device is capable. Nevertheless, merged devices may be represented as a single UI entity (i.e., a zone, as discussed above). For instance, the playback devicesandin the Master Bathroom have the single UI entity of Zone A. In one embodiment, the playback devicesandmay each output the full range of audio content of which each respective playback devicesandis capable, in synchrony.

120 110 110 120 110 c a n b e In some embodiments, an NMD may be bonded or merged with one or more other devices so as to form a zone. As one example, the NMDmay be merged with the playback devicesandto form Zone A. As another example, the NMDmay be bonded with the playback device, which together form Zone F, named Living Room. In other embodiments, a stand-alone network microphone device may be in a zone by itself. In other embodiments, however, a stand-alone network microphone device may not be associated with a zone. Additional details regarding associating network microphone devices and playback devices as designated or default devices may be found, for example, in previously referenced U.S. Pat. No. 10,499,146.

1 FIG.N 108 108 a b As mentioned above, in some implementations, zones of individual, bonded, and/or merged devices may be grouped to form a zone group. For example, referring to, Zone A may be grouped with Zone B to form a zone groupthat includes the two zones, and Zone G may be grouped with Zone H to form the zone group. However, other zone groupings are also possible. For example, Zone A may be grouped with one or more other Zones C-I. The Zones A-I may be grouped and ungrouped in numerous ways. For example, three, four, five, or more (e.g., all) of the Zones A-I may be grouped at any given time. When grouped, the zones of individual and/or bonded playback devices may play back audio in synchrony with one another, as described in previously referenced U.S. Pat. No. 8,234,395. Playback devices may be dynamically grouped and ungrouped to form new or different groups that synchronously play back audio content.

108 b 1 FIG.N In various implementations, the zone groups in an environment may be named by according to a name of a zone within the group or a combination of the names of the zones within a zone group. For example, Zone Groupcan be assigned a name such as “Dining+Kitchen”, as shown in. In other implementations, a zone group may be given a unique name selected by a user.

112 b 1 FIG.C Certain data may be stored in a memory of a playback device (e.g., the memoryof) as one or more state variables that are periodically updated and used to describe the state of a playback zone, the playback device(s), and/or a zone group associated therewith. The memory may also include the data associated with the state of the other devices of the media system and shared from time to time among the devices so that one or more of the devices have the most recent data associated with the system.

101 110 101 101 110 110 101 101 108 110 110 101 101 101 108 c g d d h k g g b d b h h h b 1 1 FIGS.M,N In some embodiments, the memory may store instances of various variable types associated with the states. Variables instances may be stored with identifiers (e.g., tags) corresponding to type. For example, certain identifiers may be a first type “a1” to identify playback device(s) of a zone, a second type “b1” to identify playback device(s) that may be bonded in the zone, and a third type “c1” to identify a zone group to which the zone may belong. As a related example, identifiers associated with the Second Bedroommay indicate (i) that the playback deviceis the only playback device of the Zone C and (ii) that Zone C is not in a zone group. Identifiers associated with the Denmay indicate that the Denis not grouped with other zones but includes bonded playback devices-. Identifiers associated with the Dining Roommay indicate that the Dining Roomis part of the Dining+Kitchen Zone Groupand that devicesand(Kitchen) are grouped (). Identifiers associated with the Kitchenmay indicate the same or similar information by virtue of the Kitchenbeing part of the Dining+Kitchen Zone Group. Other example zone variables and identifiers are described below.

100 109 109 100 1 FIG.N 1 FIG.N a b In yet another example, the MPSmay include variables or identifiers representing other associations of zones and zone groups, such as identifiers associated with Areas, as shown in. An area may involve a cluster of zone groups and/or zones not within a zone group. For instance,shows an Upper Areaincluding Zones A-D, and a Lower Areaincluding Zones E-I. In one aspect, an Area may be used to invoke a cluster of zone groups and/or zones that share one or more zones and/or zone groups of another cluster. In another aspect, this differs from a zone group, which does not share a zone with another zone group. Further examples of techniques for implementing Areas may be found, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 10,712,997 filed Aug. 21, 2017, issued Jul. 14, 2020, and titled “Room Association Based on Name,” and U.S. Pat. No. 8,483,853, filed Sep. 11, 2007, issued Jul. 9, 2013, and titled “Controlling and manipulating groupings in a multi-zone media system.” Each of these applications is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In some embodiments, the MPSmay not implement Areas, in which case the system may not store variables associated with Areas.

3 FIG. 3 FIG. 330 110 332 334 330 332 336 336 336 332 336 110 332 334 330 334 330 a b c d shows an example housingof a playback device (e.g., one of the playback devicesdiscussed above) that includes a user interface in the form of a control areaat a top portionof the housing. The control areaincludes buttons,, andfor controlling audio playback, volume level, and other functions. The control areaalso includes a buttonfor toggling one or more microphones (not visible in) of the playback deviceto either an on state or an off state. The control areais at least partially surrounded by apertures formed in the top portionof the housingthrough which the microphones receive the sound in the environment of the playback device. The microphones may be arranged in various positions along and/or within the top portionor other areas of the housingso as to detect sound from one or more directions relative to the playback device.

Audio content may be any type of audio content now known or later developed. For example, in some embodiments, the audio content includes any one or more of: (i) streaming music or other audio obtained from a streaming media service, such as Spotify, Pandora, or other streaming media services; (ii) streaming music or other audio from a local music library, such as a music library stored on a user's laptop computer, desktop computer, smartphone, tablet, home server, or other computing device now known or later developed; (iii) audio content associated with video content, such as audio associated with a television program or movie received from any of a television, set-top box, Digital Video Recorder, Digital Video Disc player, streaming video service, or any other source of audio-visual media content now known or later developed; (iv) text-to-speech or other audible content from a voice assistant service (VAS), such as Amazon Alexa or other VAS services now known or later developed; (v) audio content from a doorbell or intercom system such as Nest, Ring, or other doorbells or intercom systems now known or later developed; and/or (vi) audio content from a telephone, video phone, video/teleconferencing system or other application configured to allow users to communicate with each other via audio and/or video.

Audio content that can be played by a playback device as described herein, including any of the aforementioned types of audio content, may also be referred to herein as media content. A source from which the media content is obtained may be referred to herein as a media content source.

In operation, a “sourcing” playback device obtains any of the aforementioned types of audio content from an audio source via an interface on the playback device, e.g., one of the sourcing playback device's network interfaces, a “line-in” analog interface, a digital audio interface, or any other interface suitable for receiving audio content in digital or analog format now known or later developed.

An audio source is any system, device, or application that generates, provides, or otherwise makes available any of the aforementioned audio content to a playback device. For example, in some embodiments, an audio source includes any one or more of a streaming media (audio, video) service, digital media server or other computing system, VAS service, television, cable set-top-box, streaming media player (e.g., AppleTV, Roku, gaming console), CD/DVD player, doorbell, intercom, telephone, tablet, or any other source of digital audio content.

A playback device that receives or otherwise obtains audio content from an audio source for playback and/or distribution to other playback devices may be referred to herein as the “sourcing” playback device, “master” playback device, or “group coordinator.” One function of the “sourcing” playback device is to process received audio content for playback and/or distribution to other playback devices. In some embodiments, the sourcing playback device transmits the processed audio content to all the playback devices that are configured to play the audio content. In some embodiments, the sourcing playback device transmits the processed audio content to a multicast network address, and all the other playback devices configured to play the audio content receive the audio content via that multicast address. In some embodiments, the sourcing playback device alternatively transmits the processed audio content to each unicast network address of each other playback device configured to play the audio content, and each of the other playback devices configured to play the audio content receive the audio content via its unicast address.

As mentioned above, a playback device may be configured to operate within a range of orientations, as measured about one or more rotational axes of the playback device, that may be considered valid orientations of the playback device. On the other hand, if the playback device is placed in an orientation that is outside a valid orientation range, it may be considered to be in an invalid orientation and the capabilities of the playback device may be limited, as discussed further below.

4 4 FIGS.A-C 1 1 FIGS.A-N 4 4 FIGS.A-C 9 15 FIGS.- 110 110 110 110 903 Turning to, several side views of an example playback deviceare shown which serve to illustrate possible rotations of the playback device about its pitch axis. In this regard, the playback devicemay be, for example, any of the playback devicesdiscussed above and shown in. Further, the playback deviceshown incan be optionally coupled to a platformof an adjustable mounting assembly (discussed in further detail below with respect to), which may be affixed to a wall or a stand, among other possibilities.

4 FIG.A 4 FIG.B 4 FIG.C 110 110 402 110 401 110 110 110 In, the playback deviceis shown in a neutral position—that is, without any rotation about its pitch axis. However,shows the playback devicerotated downward about its pitch axis, as shown by the pitch rotation angle(i.e., a positive pitch rotation). On the other hand,shows the playback devicerotated upward about its pitch axis, as shown by the pitch rotation angle(i.e., a negative pitch rotation). Such rotations may be desirable in various circumstances, depending on the location of the playback devicewithin the particular listening environment in which it is placed. For example, if the playback deviceis mounted relatively high on a wall within a room, it may be desirable to rotate the playback devicedownward about its pitch axis so that its primary transducers are directed toward the main listening area of the room.

4 4 FIGS.B andC 110 110 110 110 The rotation angles shown inmay represent the maximum rotations of the playback deviceabout its pitch axis. After this threshold rotation is reached, the playback devicemay determine itself to be in an invalid orientation. For instance, in some examples, the threshold upward or downward rotation of the playback devicemay be 22.5 degrees in either direction. Other threshold pitch rotation angles are also possible, depending on the specifications of the particular playback device.

4 4 FIGS.A-C 4 4 FIGS.A-C 110 110 110 110 110 In the examples shown in, the attachment of the playback deviceto the adjustable mounting assembly may constrain the rotation of the playback devicesuch that it remains within the valid orientation limits noted above. However, it will be appreciated that the playback devicemight not be coupled to the adjustable mounting assembly shown inin every situation, and that placement of the playback devicewith a positive or negative rotation about its pitch axis, perhaps outside the valid orientation limits, might occur in other ways. Accordingly, the playback devicemay be configured to detect such invalid rotations and respond accordingly, as discussed in further detail below.

5 5 FIGS.A-F 5 FIG.A 5 FIG.B 5 FIG.C 110 110 110 501 110 502 110 Turning to, several front views of the example playback deviceare shown which serve to illustrate possible rotations of the playback device about its roll axis. For example, in, the playback deviceis shown in a neutral position—that is, without any rotation about its roll axis. However,shows the playback devicerotated counterclockwise about its roll axis, as shown by the roll rotation angle(i.e., a positive roll rotation). On the other hand,shows the playback devicerotated clockwise about its roll axis, as shown by the roll rotation angle(i.e., a negative roll rotation). As with the pitch rotations discussed above, such rotations about the playback device's roll axis may be desirable in various circumstances, depending on the location of the playback devicewithin the particular listening environment in which it is placed.

5 5 FIGS.B andC 110 110 110 110 110 The rotation angles shown inmay represent the maximum rotations of the playback deviceabout its roll axis. After this threshold roll rotation is reached—which may be a different value than the threshold pitch rotation—the playback devicemay determine itself to be in an invalid orientation. For instance, in some examples, the threshold counterclockwise or clockwise roll rotation of the playback devicemay be smaller than the threshold upward or downward pitch rotation of the playback device. In some examples, the threshold counterclockwise or clockwise rotation of the playback devicemay be 15 degrees in either direction. Other threshold roll rotation angles are also possible, depending on the specifications of the particular playback device.

5 FIG.D 5 FIG.A 5 FIG.D 110 110 110 110 shows another possible orientation of the playback deviceabout its roll axis—namely, an inverted orientation representing a 180 degree rotation from the neutral position shown in. In some implementations, the inverted orientation shown inmay be treated as a valid orientation for the playback device, and may be desirable in some situations. For example, in scenarios where the playback devicedoes not include upward firing transducers, or if such functionality is not desired, the playback devicemight be mounted in an inverted position so as to make its user interface (e.g., play/pause, volume controls, etc.) more easily accessible.

110 110 503 110 504 110 5 FIG.D 5 FIG.E 5 FIG.F 5 5 FIGS.E andF 5 FIG.A Nonetheless, rotations of the playback deviceaway from the inverted position shown inmight only be valid within a certain range. For instance,shows the playback devicerotated counterclockwise from the inverted position, as shown by the roll rotation angle(i.e., a positive roll rotation). Similarly,shows the playback devicerotated clockwise from the inverted position, as shown by the roll rotation angle(i.e., a negative roll rotation). Each of the rotations shown inmay represent a rotation of 15 degrees from the inverted position, which may also be viewed as a +/−165 degree rotation from the neutral position shown in. As above, these rotations may represent the threshold roll rotation that the playback devicemay experience while still being considered to be in a valid orientation.

110 110 As with the pitch rotations discussed above, the attachment of the playback deviceto the adjustable mounting assembly may constrain its roll rotations such that it remains within the valid orientation limits noted above. However, in situations where the adjustable mounting assembly is not used, the playback devicemay be rotated beyond the threshold rotation limits in one or both of the pitch and roll directions, thereby placing it in an invalid orientation.

110 112 110 110 j a 1 FIG.C Accordingly, to detect and respond accordingly to being placed in an invalid orientation, the playback devicemay include one or more orientation sensors, such as the one or more orientation sensorsshown in relation to the playback deviceof. In practice, the one or more orientation sensors may include, for example, a three-axis accelerometer that provides orientation data indicating the rotation(s) of the playback deviceabout both its pitch and roll axes. Additional discussion related to playback using positioning information of a playback device can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 8,995,240, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Further, additional information related to shaping sound responsive to the orientation of a playback device can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 9,042,556, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

6 FIG. 6 FIG. 600 110 110 Turning now to, a flowchartis shown that illustrates one example implementation for detecting and handling a playback device that has been placed in an invalid orientation. The playback device discussed with respect tomay be, as in the examples above, the playback device. In addition, the at least one orientation sensor of the playback devicewill be referred to as an accelerometer in the discussion that follows, however it should be understood that the at least one orientation sensor may take various other forms as well, including multiple accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes, one or more magnetometers, one or more inertial measurement units, or any combination thereof.

602 110 110 110 110 Beginning at block, the playback devicemay obtain, via the accelerometer, orientation data for the playback device. In this regard, the playback devicemay (e.g., via an orientation driver) continuously poll the accelerometer (or any associated data register) during operation to determine the current orientation of the playback device. For example, the accelerometer may gather orientation data at a frequency between 1 Hz and 200 Hz, such as 100 Hz. The orientation data can be stored in a buffer/storage, such as a 16-deep first-in-first-out (FIFO) data buffer, among other examples. The orientation driver may read data out of the storage at particular intervals of time, such as every 1 ms, 100 ms, 250 ms, 500 ms, etc. Other frequencies are also possible.

110 110 110 110 110 However, it may be possible that in some situations, the playback devicemay be bumped, or that vibrations of the playback devicecaused by the playback of audio content may result in perturbations to the instantaneous accelerometer readings, such that playback devicemay appear to have changed its orientation when it did not. For this reason, the playback devicemay determine a running average of the orientation values that are obtained from the accelerometer and thereby decrease the likelihood that an instantaneous reading from the accelerometer might result in a false positive determination that the playback devicehas been placed at an invalid orientation.

110 110 110 110 110 110 604 The playback devicemay determine a running average of the orientation values that are obtained from the accelerometer in various ways. As one possibility, the playback devicemay maintain a buffer that includes a running set of the most recently received orientation data readings from the accelerometer and determine average orientation values for the buffer. For example, the playback devicemay maintain a FIFO buffer of the 16 most recently received orientation data readings, as noted above. Further, the playback devicemay determine, for the running set of orientation data in the buffer, an average rotation of the playback device about its pitch axis and an average rotation of the playback device about its roll axis. As each new reading from the accelerometer is received, the playback devicemay add the newest reading and remove the oldest reading from the buffer, and then recalculate the averages. Accordingly, when the playback devicedetermines whether its pitch or roll rotation exceeds the respective threshold rotations (e.g., at blockdiscussed below), it may base this determination on the running averages that it calculates.

110 Other examples for how the playback devicemay determine a running average for the orientation data from the accelerometer are also possible.

110 110 110 110 130 110 110 In some other implementations, the playback devicemight not continuously poll the accelerometer for orientation data. For instance, in a situation where sound quality is the only orientation-based consideration and there is no risk of orientation-based thermal events, the playback devicemight not poll the accelerometer for orientation data until a request to configure the playback deviceis received. In this context, a request to configure the playback devicemay be received from the control device, such as the control device, and my correspond to a command to add the playback deviceto a bonded playback zone (e.g., a stereo pair), a command to perform an audio calibration, or a request to set up the playback deviceto perform some other functionality (e.g., a request to enable a voice assistant, etc.).

110 The playback devicemay obtain orientation data from the accelerometer in other manners and at other times as well.

604 110 110 110 110 110 At block, based on the obtained orientation data, the playback devicemay determine that a rotation of the playback deviceabout its roll axis exceeds the threshold roll rotation. Additionally, or alternatively, the playback devicemay determine that a rotation of the playback deviceabout its pitch axis exceeds the threshold pitch rotation. As noted above, the playback devicemay base these determinations on the average rotations determined for the running set of most recently obtained orientation data from the accelerometer.

110 If either threshold rotation is exceeded, or if both are exceeded, the playback devicemay determine that it is positioned in an invalid orientation.

606 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 At block, based on determining that the rotation of the playback deviceexceeds at least one of the threshold roll rotation or the threshold pitch rotation, the playback devicemay take various actions. As one possibility, the playback devicemay transition from operating in a valid orientation mode in which the playback deviceis allowed to play back audio content to operating in an invalid orientation mode in which the playback devicehas limited playback capabilities for playing back audio content. For example, the playback devicemay reduce and or cap the volume of the playback deviceto a certain level, such as 15%. In other examples, the playback devicemay treat the invalid orientation mode as a fault condition such that it is restricted from playing back any audio content until the invalid orientation is resolved.

110 110 110 110 101 110 101 As another possibility, the playback devicemay update a state variable that indicates the invalid orientation and/or the invalid orientation mode of the playback device. In some implementations, the playback devicemay transmit an indication of this updated state variable to one or more other devices of a media playback system that includes the playback device(e.g., the media playback system) upon updating the state variable. In other examples, the playback devicemay update the state variable and store it in memory, and then other devices of the media playback systemmay request the value of the state variable as necessary.

110 110 110 As yet another possibility, the playback devicemay provide visual feedback by causing a visual interface of the playback deviceto display an indication of the invalid orientation mode. For instance, the visual interface of the playback devicemay include an LED light, which may be illuminated in a particular color (e.g., amber, red, etc.) that indicates the invalid orientation condition. Other visual interfaces are also possible, including a display screen.

110 110 Further, the playback devicemight also provide audio feedback, in the form of an audio tone or the like, which may serve as a cue to the user that playback devicetransitioned from the valid orientation mode to the invalid orientation mode. Other examples are also possible.

608 110 110 130 130 130 130 7 7 FIGS.A-B 8 FIG. As yet another possibility, at block, the playback devicemay optionally cause a notification indicating the invalid orientation mode to be displayed at a computing device that is communicatively coupled to the playback device. For example, the playback devicemay transmit an indication of the invalid orientation mode to the control device, causing the control deviceto display, via a media playback system controller application running on the control device, a corresponding notification. The notification displayed by the control devicemay take various forms, some examples of which are shown inand.

7 FIG.A 8 FIG. 130 710 710 110 130 a a In the example shown in, a control devicedisplays a banner notification, which may remain always-on-top and persist across numerous screens of the media playback system controller application. The banner notificationincludes a red notification dot, along with a textual description explaining that the playback device—designated as a Bedroom playback device in this example—cannot play audio in its current position. Selecting the banner notification may cause the control deviceto display instructions for resolving the invalid orientation, as shown inand discussed below.

7 FIG.B 7 FIG.A 710 110 b Another type of notification in shown in, where the notificationindicating the invalid orientation mode is presented in a settings menu, rather than the banner notification shown in. In other examples, the notification may be displayed only within particular screens of the media playback system controller application that pertain to the playback device.

8 FIG. 8 FIG. 7 7 FIG.A orB 130 820 110 822 110 illustrates another type of notification that may be displayed by the control devicethat provides an instruction for how to resolve the invalid orientation, along with visual representationthat shows the playback devicein valid orientation, as well as a representationthat shows the playback devicein an invalid orientation. For example, a user may be presented with the notification shown inupon a selection of either of the notifications shown in, or any other similar notification.

8 FIG. 8 FIG. 8 FIG. 130 130 110 110 130 110 824 110 110 As another possibility, as suggested above, the notification shown inmay be presented via the control deviceif a user provides an input via the control deviceindicating a request to configure the playback device(e.g., by setting up a bonded zone with another playback device, by calibrating the playback device, etc.), but the control devicedetermines that the playback deviceis in an invalid orientation. After being presented with the notification seen inand resolving the invalid orientation condition, a user may select the selectable iconto “Continue” which may dismiss the notification. As yet another possibility, the notification shown inmay be presented to a user when the playback deviceis initially set up, such that a user may become familiar with the valid and invalid orientations of the playback device. Numerous other possibilities also exist.

110 110 110 130 110 110 110 110 110 110 130 110 130 In situations where the playback deviceis in an invalid orientation mode, returning the playback deviceto the valid orientation mode may cause both the playback deviceand the control deviceto clear any notifications related to the invalid orientation. For example, based on orientation data received from the accelerometer, the playback devicemay determine that neither the threshold roll rotation of the playback devicenor the threshold pitch rotation of the playback deviceis currently exceeded. Accordingly, based on making this determination, the playback devicemay transition from operating in the invalid orientation mode to operating in the valid orientation mode. This may involve, for example, updating the state variable to indicate the valid orientation mode, clearing any visual indications that the playback devicewas presenting, and removing any restrictions with respect to the playback of audio content. Further, the playback devicemay cause the computing deviceto clear any notifications indicating the invalid orientation mode. For example, the playback devicemay transmit an indication of the updated state variable to the control device, among other possibilities.

604 110 110 110 606 110 In some implementations, with reference to blockabove, the playback devicemay determine, based on the orientation data obtained via the one or more orientation sensors, that the playback deviceis in an inverted orientation. Although this may be considered a valid orientation, as noted above, it may nonetheless be desirable to adjust various settings of the playback devicewhen it is in an inverted orientation. In these situations, with reference to blockabove, the playback devicemay transition from operating in a valid orientation mode to operating in a valid-inverted orientation mode, where certain playback settings may be adjusted.

110 110 110 The adjustments that may be implemented in an inverted orientation may take various forms. As one possibility, the playback devicemay adjust its equalization and/or audio calibration settings to reflect that the relative directions for audio output (e.g., right and left, up and down) have been reversed as a result of its inverted orientation, and/or that the playback deviceis likely to be in an elevated position (e.g., above a listener's head) within the listening environment if it has been positioned in an inverted orientation. For instance, if the playback deviceis configured for stereo playback of audio content, the playback may output right channel audio via its transducers that would normally output left channel audio, and vice versa.

110 110 110 110 110 Similarly, if the playback deviceincludes one or more upward-firing transducers that are configured to play back vertical audio channels in a spatial audio arrangement—but that are now facing downward as a result of the inverted orientation, the playback devicemay adjust the audio output from the one or more upward-firing transducers. For example, the playback devicemay adjust its audio settings such that the upward-firing transducers do not output vertical audio channels, and/or output selected audio channels in a downward direction (e.g., center channel audio content) as a way to de-elevate the audio image produced by the playback device. Alternatively, the playback devicemay disable the upward-firing transducers in the valid-inverted orientation mode. Other examples are also possible.

110 110 110 110 110 110 110 As another possibility, the playback devicemay reverse certain control aspects of a user interface on the playback devicewhen operating in the valid-inverted mode. For example, a volume control bar on the playback devicethat normally operates to raise the volume level of the playback devicewith a left-to-right swipe interaction, from the user's perspective, may be reversed. In this way, the volume control bar may operate in the same way, from the user's perspective, when inverted. Namely, a left-to-right swipe will raise the volume level, even though this interaction is in the opposite direction from the perspective of the playback device. In a similar way, transport controls located on the playback device(e.g., skip forward, skip backward) may also be reversed, such that skipping forward corresponds to a button or interaction on the right side of the playback device, from the user's perspective, and moving backward corresponds to a button or interaction on the left side of the playback device, from the user's perspective.

608 110 Still further, and with reference to block, one or more notifications may be presented via a control device indicating the adjustments noted above. For example, a notification may be displayed via the control device indicating that spatial audio content cannot be played back by the playback devicewhen it is in the inverted orientation. As another example, a notification may be displayed via the control device indicating that on-device controls for volume, skip forward/back, etc. have been reversed to provide a consistent user-experience. Numerous other examples are also possible.

110 110 110 110 5 FIG.D 5 FIG.D In some implementations, other alterative orientations may be treated as valid orientations for the playback device. For example, the playback device may be rotated 90 degrees so that it can be used in any of a vertical or horizontal orientation. The inverted valid orientation shown incan be an example of such alternative valid orientations. Similarly to what was described for the inverted orientation shown in, rotations of the playback deviceaway from these alternative valid positions might only be valid within a certain range. The playback devicemay determine, based on the orientation data obtained via the one or more orientation sensors, that the playback deviceis in an alternative valid orientation. As noted above for the inverted orientation, in these instances it may be desirable to adjust various settings when the playback device is in an alternative valid orientation.

6 FIG. includes one or more operations, functions, or actions as illustrated by one or more of operational blocks. Although the blocks are illustrated in a given order, some of the blocks may also be performed in parallel, and/or in a different order than those described herein. Also, the various blocks may be combined into fewer blocks, divided into additional blocks, and/or removed based upon the desired implementation.

6 FIG. In addition, for the flowcharts shown inand other processes and methods disclosed herein, the diagrams show functionality and operation of one possible implementation of present embodiments. In this regard, each block may represent a module, a segment, or a portion of program code, which includes one or more instructions executable by one or more processors for implementing logical functions or blocks in the process.

6 FIG. The program code may be stored on any type of computer readable medium, for example, such as a storage device including a disk or hard drive. The computer readable medium may include non-transitory computer readable medium, for example, such as computer-readable media that stores data for short periods of time like register memory, processor cache and Random Access Memory (RAM). The computer readable medium may also include non-transitory media, such as secondary or persistent long-term storage, like read only memory (ROM), optical or magnetic disks, compact-disc read only memory (CD-ROM), for example. The computer readable media may also be any other volatile or non-volatile storage systems. The computer readable medium may be considered a computer readable storage medium, for example, or a tangible storage device. In addition, for the processes and methods disclosed herein, each block inmay represent circuitry and/or machinery that is wired or arranged to perform the specific functions in the process.

As noted above, additional embodiments described herein involve configurations of an adjustable mounting assembly that may be adapted for use with a playback device. For example, an adjustable mounting assembly may include mechanical limits that prevent adjustment of a mounted playback device beyond certain limits, in additional to other beneficial aspects as discussed below. Additional details regarding example adjustable mounting assemblies can be found in U.S. application Ser. No. 63/412,039, the disclosure of which is attached as Appendix A.

9 FIG. 900 900 902 901 903 901 Turning to, a perspective view of an adjustable mounting assemblyis shown. The adjustable mounting assemblyincludes a housingthat is divided into front and rear portions. Extending through an opening in the front of the housing is a front body part, which may be seen more clearly in subsequent figures. A platformfor receiving an audio playback device is attached to a stem of the front body partand serves as a mounting interface for the object that it to be mounted.

903 900 900 903 903 900 9 FIG. 9 FIG. In this regard, the platformshown inrepresents just one of many possible mounting interfaces that might be included as part of the adjustable mounting assembly. Moreover, although the examples discussed herein generally refer to the mounting of playback devices, it will be appreciated that the adjustable mounting assemblymay be used for mounting various different objects. For instance, the platformmight have a different shape than shown inin order to conform to a particular playback device or other object. Further, the platformmight be replaced in some implementations by a bracket or other type of fastener that may be used to couple the object to be mounted to the adjustable mounting assembly. Other examples are also possible.

900 905 902 905 904 904 9 FIG. 9 FIG. a b The adjustable mounting assemblyshown inalso includes a mounting bracketremovably coupled to the rear exterior side of the housing. A pair of fasteners extends through openings in the mounting bracket, shown inas a first screwand a second screw, although various other fasteners may also be used.

10 FIG.A 900 902 903 Referring now to, a cross-sectional view of the adjustable mounting assembly, focusing on the components internal to the housingand omitting most of the platform.

10 FIG.A 10 FIG.A 902 902 902 902 911 921 911 911 921 902 900 a b a a As can be seen in, the housingmay be divided into two parts—a front housing portionand a rear housing portion. The front housing portionincludes a front collarand a front coversurrounding the front collar. Both the front collarand the front coverinclude an opening (i.e., on the left side of the front housing portionin) about a roll axis of the adjustable mounting assembly.

911 921 901 907 906 911 901 908 907 901 903 903 908 901 10 FIG.A 10 FIG.A Extending through the opening of the front collarand the front coveris the front body part. As shown in, the front body part includes a spherical front facethat is shaped to abut and interior bearing surfaceof the front collarthat surrounds the opening, which serves to hold the front body partin place in conjunction with further components that will be discussed below. The front body part also includes a neck or stemthat extends radially outward from the spherical front faceat the opening and serves to link the front body partwith the platform. For instance, in the example ofthe platformis fastened to the stemportion of the front body partwith a screw, although numerous other arrangements are also possible.

902 922 913 911 913 914 911 912 911 902 913 902 913 917 911 b a b The rear housing portionincludes a rear coversurrounding a rear collar, which is joined with the front collarvia a threaded engagement. For instance, the rear collarmay include one or more threads, such as the thread, that is engaged with one or more threads of the front collar, such as the thread. As will be discussed in further detail below, this may allow the front collarand thus the entire front housing portionto be translated either toward (i.e., tightening) or away from (i.e., loosening) the rear collarand thus the entire rear housing portion. In addition, the rear collarmay include a set of teeththat are oriented toward the front collar, whose interaction will be discussed further in the following examples.

902 901 915 901 915 900 901 926 927 915 926 901 927 915 901 900 900 926 927 10 FIG.A 12 FIG. 13 FIG. Within the housing, the front body partmay be coupled to an intermediate body part. The coupling between the front body partand the intermediate body partmay be accomplished in various ways. As one possibility, the parts may be rotatably coupled about a roll axis of the adjustable mounting assembly. For instance, as shown in the example of, the front body partincludes a ribthat is sized to engage a first grooveon a barrel-shaped portion of the intermediate body part. In this configuration, the ribof the front body partis slidable within the first grooveof the intermediate body partwhen the front body partis rotated about the roll axis of the adjustable mounting assembly. However, in this arrangement, relative rotations between these two parts about both the pitch axis and the yaw axis of the adjustable mounting assemblymay be prevented. For additional clarity, the riband the first groovemay also be seen from an alternate angle in the perspective views shown inand.

900 916 915 916 915 900 916 924 925 915 924 916 925 915 915 900 900 925 924 916 10 FIG.A 11 FIG. 12 FIG. The adjustable mounting assemblymay additionally include a rear body partthat is coupled to the intermediate body part. As above, the coupling between the rear body partand the intermediate body partmay be accomplished in various ways. As one possibility, the parts may be rotatably coupled about a yaw axis of the adjustable mounting assembly. For instance, as shown in the example of, the rear body partincludes a ribthat is sized to engage a second grooveof the intermediate body part. In this configuration, the ribof the rear body partis slidable within the second grooveof the intermediate body partwhen the intermediate body partis rotated about the yaw axis of the adjustable mounting assembly. However, in this arrangement, relative rotations between these two parts about both the pitch axis and the roll axis of the adjustable mounting assemblymay be prevented. For additional clarity, the second groovemay also be seen from an alternate angle in the perspective views shown inand(although the ribof the rear body partis not shown).

916 918 913 918 916 913 916 900 916 915 901 908 903 900 10 FIG.A 10 FIG.A In addition, the rear body partincludes a set of teeththat are oriented toward the rear collar. As shown in, the teethof the rear body partmay engage the opposing teeth of the rear collar. As will be appreciated by examining, the interlocking engagement of these teeth may prevent any rotation of the rear body partabout the pitch axis (i.e., up and down) of the adjustable mounting assembly. Further, this fixation of the rear body partabout the pitch axis may extend to the intermediate body partand the front body part, which are all fixed with respect to each other about the pitch axis. By further extension, the stemand the platformmay also be fixed about the pitch axis of the adjustable mounting assembly.

900 903 902 913 10 FIG.A In this way, the adjustable mounting assemblymay be capable of supporting a relatively heavy object on the platform, whose weight is applied as a downward force that will cause a downward rotation about the pitch axis if not adequately resisted. In the configuration shown in, this resistance does not need to be provided by frictional contact of the front, intermediate, and rear body parts with the interior of the housing, but is instead provided by the mechanical interlock of the teeth with the rear collar.

905 913 905 905 904 904 10 FIG.A 10 FIG.A a b The mounting bracketcan also be seen in, removably coupled to an exterior side of the rear collar. The mounting bracketincludes a pair of openings to receive respective fasteners for attaching the mounting bracketto a mounting surface, such as a wall. In, the fasteners are again shown as two screwsand, although a different type and/or number of fasteners is also possible, depending on the application.

10 FIG.A 900 900 900 Although the example shown inprovides a solution to the issue of a supporting a relatively heavy object, the fixation about the pitch axis consequently limits the adjustability of the adjustable mounting assemblyabout the pitch axis. For this reason, the adjustable mounting assemblymay be configured such that the interlocking teeth may be temporarily disengaged in order to provide adjustability, before they are reengaged to fix the adjustable mounting assemblyin a new orientation.

10 FIG.B 10 FIG.A 10 FIG.B 900 911 913 902 900 912 911 914 913 902 902 902 900 a a b demonstrates this capability and illustrates the adjustable mounting assemblyafter the threaded engagement between the front collarand the rear collarafter has been loosened from a first position (shown in) to a second position. For example, the front housing portionmay be rotated about the roll axis of the adjustable mounting assemblysuch that the thread(s)of the front collarand the thread(s)of the rear collarmove the front housing portionaway from the rear housing portion. This may create a gap between these parts of the housing, as seen at the top and bottom of the adjustable mounting assemblyin.

902 917 918 902 911 913 903 901 911 915 901 926 927 915 916 915 924 925 916 918 917 913 a 10 FIG.B In addition, a similar gap can be seen within the housingbetween the opposing sets of teethand, which appears due to the translation of the front, intermediate, and rear body parts to the left along with the front housing portion. For example, when the threaded engagement of the front collarand the rear collaris loosened as shown in, the weight of the platformand anything that it is supporting may naturally draw the front body partto the left along with the front collar. Further, because the intermediate body partis coupled to the front body partas discussed above with the ribwithin the groove, the intermediate body partmay be drawn to the left as well. Similarly, because the rear body partis coupled to the intermediate body partas discussed above with the ribwithin the groove, the rear body partmay also be drawn to the left, thereby disengaging its teethfrom the teethof the rear collar.

903 900 911 913 902 900 912 911 914 913 902 902 918 916 917 913 10 FIG.A 10 FIG.A a a b In this state, a user may adjust the orientation of the platformand thus the mounted object about any of the rotational axes of the adjustable mounting assembly, as movement of the combined front, intermediate, and rear body parts is not constrained in any rotational direction (within certain limits, discussed below). Once a desired orientation is achieved, the threaded engagement between the front collarand the rear collarmay be tightened back to the first position shown in. For instance, the front housing portionmay be rotated in the opposite direction about the roll axis of the adjustable mounting assemblysuch that the thread(s)of the front collarand the thread(s)of the rear collarmove the front housing portionback toward the rear housing portion. This, in turn, may reengage the teethof the rear body partwith the teethof the rear collar(perhaps in a different position that that shown in).

900 902 10 FIG.B As suggested above, while the adjustable mounting assemblyis a loosened or unlocked position as shown in, there may be a limit to the amount of rotation that may occur in each of the respective rotational directions. These limits may be imposed by a set of mechanical stops within the housing, which will now be discussed.

916 931 932 911 913 932 916 934 913 900 900 10 FIG.B Beginning with rotation in the pitch direction, the rear body partmay include a top edgeand a bottom edgeas shown in. When the threaded engagement between the front collarand the rear collaris loosened as shown, the disengagement of the teeth may generally allow for movement of the body parts about the pitch axis. However, once a downward rotation reaches a certain point, the bottom edgeof the rear body partmay abut an interior bottom wallof the rear collar. This may prevent any further downward rotation about the pitch axis and may represent a lower limit in the adjustability of the adjustable mounting assembly. For instance, based on this configuration, the adjustable mounting assemblymay be adjusted to have a maximum downward pitch angle of 22.5 degrees, although other angles are also possible (e.g., 10 degrees, 20 degrees, etc.).

931 916 933 913 900 900 Similarly, once an upward rotation reaches a certain point, the top edgeof the rear body partmay abut an interior top wallof the rear collar. This may prevent any further upward rotation about the pitch axis and may represent an upper limit in the adjustability of the adjustable mounting assembly. Similar to the downward direction, the adjustable mounting assemblymay be adjusted to have a maximum upward pitch angle of 22.5 degrees, resulting in a total range of motion of 45 degrees about the pitch axis. Other angles are also possible (e.g., 10 degrees, 20 degrees, etc.), including implementations in which the upward and downward limits are different.

933 934 913 913 10 FIG.B In the discussion above, the interior top walland the interior bottom wallof the rear collarare referred to separately for the sake of clarity when referring to the cross-sectional view shown in. However, it will be appreciated that, due to its cylindrical shape, the rear collarmay have a single, continuous interior wall.

11 FIG. 11 FIG. 900 916 925 915 924 916 925 915 916 925 928 915 Turning to, another cross-sectional view of the adjustable mounting assemblyis shown from a slight perspective. Further, the rear body parthas been removed fromin order to better illustrate certain features. In particular, the groovein the intermediate body partcan be seen. As noted above, a corresponding ribon the rear body partengages and slides within the groovein order to permit yaw rotations of the intermediate body partwith respect to the rear body part. Accordingly, the grooveand the rear endof the intermediate body partmay be curved with a similar radius about the yaw axis.

925 937 915 915 924 916 937 900 As with the pitch rotations, the yaw rotations may be limited by a mechanical stop. In particular, the groovemay include a first end wall, as well as a second end wall in mirror image position on the other side of the intermediate body part(not shown). In this way, the yaw rotation of the combined front body part and intermediate body partabout the yaw axis in a first direction may be limited by an abutment of the ribon the rear body partwith the first end wall. For instance, based on this configuration, the adjustable mounting assemblymay be adjusted to have a maximum yaw angle of 22.5 degrees in a first direction (e.g., right or left), although other angles are also possible (e.g., 10 degrees, 20 degrees, etc.).

924 925 900 In a similar way, rotation may be limited about the yaw axis in a second direction (e.g., right or left) by an abutment of the ribwith the second end wall of the groove. As above, the adjustable mounting assemblymay be adjusted to have a maximum yaw angle of 22.5 degrees in the second direction, resulting in a total range of motion of 45 degrees about the yaw axis. Other angles are also possible (e.g., 10 degrees, 20 degrees, etc.), including implementations in which the limits in the two possible yaw directions are different.

12 FIG. 11 FIG. 11 FIG. 900 901 916 901 935 936 901 900 Referring now to, another cross-sectional view of the adjustable mounting assemblyis shown, slightly zoomed in and from a different perspective in order to show the rear side of the front body part. Similar to, the rear body parthas been removed fromin order to better illustrate certain features. In particular, the front body partincludes a first rotation wall stopand a second rotation wall stop. Similar to the pitch and yaw limitations discussed above, these stops may serve to limit the rotation of the front body partabout the roll axis of the adjustable mounting assembly.

901 935 915 900 For example, when the front body partis rotated about the roll axis in a first direction (e.g., counterclockwise), the rotation may be limited by the abutment of the first wall stopwith the top of the intermediate body part. For instance, based on this configuration, the adjustable mounting assemblymay be adjusted to have a maximum roll angle of 15 degrees in the counterclockwise direction, although other angles are also possible (e.g., 10 degrees, 22.5 degrees, etc.).

936 915 900 901 In a similar way, rotation may be limited about the roll axis in a second direction (e.g., clockwise) by an abutment of the second wall stopwith the bottom of the intermediate body part. As above, the adjustable mounting assemblymay be adjusted to have a maximum roll angle of 15 degrees in the clockwise direction, resulting in a total range of motion of 30 degrees about the roll axis. Other angles are also possible (e.g., 10 degrees, 22.5 degrees, etc.), including implementations in which the limits in the two possible roll directions are different. Further, the limitation on the angle of roll rotation may be implemented in other ways as well, include more or fewer (e.g., one) rotation wall stops on the front body part.

13 FIG. 13 FIG. 13 FIG. 900 921 922 911 913 901 915 916 905 938 916 913 938 916 913 916 924 916 925 915 938 916 913 916 915 926 901 927 915 938 916 913 918 916 917 913 shows another cross-sectional view of the adjustable mounting assemblyfrom a more top-down perspective. In, the front coverand the rear coverare not shown, nor are the front collaror the rear collar, in order to better illustrate certain features. In particular, the front body part, the intermediate body part, and the rear body partare shown in relation to the mounting bracket. A side wallof the rear body partcan also be seen in, which may abut an interior side wall of the rear collarwhen fully assembled. In view of this arrangement and the discussion above, it will be appreciated that the abutment of the side wallof the rear body partand the interior side wall of the rear collarprevents the rear body partfrom rotating about the yaw axis when the ribof the rear body partis sliding within the grooveof the intermediate body part. Further, the abutment of the side wallof the rear body partand the interior side wall of the rear collaralso prevents the rear body part(and by extension, the intermediate body part) from rotating about the roll axis when the ribof the front body partis sliding within the grooveof the intermediate body part. Nonetheless, the side wallof the rear body partis free to slide vertically with respect to the interior side wall of the rear collarwhen the combined front, intermediate, and rear body parts are rotated in the pitch direction (when the threaded engagement is loosened). Because the yaw and roll rotations are limited in this way, the teethof the rear body partmay remain aligned with the teethof the rear collarsuch that they can be easily interlocked when the threaded engagement is tightened.

10 10 FIGS.A-B 10 FIG.B 10 FIG.A 10 FIG.B 902 902 911 913 911 913 902 902 911 913 900 911 919 913 911 921 a b Referring again to, it may be desirable to limit the separation of the front housing portionand the rear housing portionwhen the threaded engagement of the front collarand the rear collaris loosened to the second position shown in, and/or when the threaded engagement is tightened to the first position shown in. For example, it may be desirable to limit loosening the front collarfrom the rear collarto the point that the housingcan be fully disassembled, which may cause the body parts in the interior of the housingto fall out. Additionally, or alternatively, it may be desirable to limit tightening the front collarfrom the rear collarto avoid over-tightening and damaging the adjustable mounting assembly. To accomplish this, the front collarmay include a channelpositioned adjacent to the rear collar, shown inalong the top of the front collar, inside the front cover.

14 FIG. 9 14 FIGS.- 919 900 921 911 919 1422 911 900 1421 913 919 911 913 1421 1422 919 911 913 902 1421 1422 919 902 902 911 913 a b Turning now to, the same channelcan be seen in another cross-sectional view of the adjustable mounting assemblyfrom a more top-down perspective, where the front coveris not shown so as to reveal the front collar. The channelincludes a first end walland may additionally include a second end wall in a similar position on the opposite side of the front collar(not shown). Further, the adjustable mounting assemblymay include a limiter pinthat extends through the rear collarand into the channelsuch that, when the threaded engagement between the front collarand the rear collaris tightened (e.g., rotated clockwise) to the first position, the limiter pinengages the first end wallof the channeland prevents further tightening of the threaded engagement between the front collarand the rear collar. Moreover, if the overall shape of the housingis an oblong shape as shown in, or some other non-concentrically-symmetrical design, the interaction of the limiter pinand the first end wallof the channelmay also ensure that the front housing portionand rear housing portionare substantially aligned when the threaded engagement between the front collarand the rear collaris tightened.

919 902 911 913 1421 919 1421 900 a A second end wall of the channelmay operate in a similar way. For instance, as the front housing portionis rotated counterclockwise to loosen the threaded engagement between the front collarand the rear collar, the limiter pinmay travel within the channel until the second end wall of the channelabuts the limiter pin. As indicated above, this may prevent accidental disassembly of the entire adjustable mounting assembly. Various other configurations are also possible.

900 In the discussion above, it should be understood that the features described and shown in the figures represent one possible implementation of the adjustable mounting assembly, and that other substantially similar configurations are also possible. For instance, where two parts are engaged via a rib and a corresponding groove, the rib and groove may be swapped between the parts to produce the same effect. Similarly, any function that is discussed as being performed by a single part may be performed by two or more parts working in unison. Further, two or more of the parts discussed above may be combined into a single part, where appropriate. Numerous other variations are also possible.

15 FIG. 15 FIG. 9 14 FIGS.- 1500 1500 900 Turning now to, a processfor adjusting an adjustable mounting assembly is shown, according to an example implementation. For purposes of discussed in the following examples, the processshown inwill be discussed in relation to the adjustable mounting assemblyas shown in. Alternative implementations are included within the scope of the examples of the present disclosure, in which functions may be executed out of order from that shown or discussed, including substantially concurrently, depending on the functionality involved, as would be understood by those reasonably skilled in the art.

1502 1500 911 913 918 916 917 913 901 900 10 FIG.A 10 FIG.B At blockof the processmay involve loosening the threaded engagement between the front collarand the rear collarfrom a first position, as shown in, to a second position, as shown in, thereby disengaging the teethof the rear body partfrom the teethof the rear collarand allowing the front body partto rotate about a pitch axis of the adjustable mounting assembly.

1504 1500 901 900 903 At blockof the process, after loosening the threaded engagement to the second position, the process may involve rotating at least the front body partabout the pitch axis of the adjustable mounting assembly. For example, as discussed above, a user may manually adjust the position of the platformand thus the mounted object to a desired orientation.

1506 1500 901 911 913 918 916 917 913 901 At blockof the process, after rotating at least the front body partabout the pitch axis, the process may involve tightening the threaded engagement between the front collarand the rear collarfrom the second position to the first position, thereby positioning the teethof the rear body partin an interlocking engagement with the teethof the rear collarand preventing the front body partfrom rotating about the pitch axis.

911 913 917 918 911 913 926 901 927 915 924 916 925 915 900 In view of the discussion above, it will be appreciated that, although rotation about the pitch axis is prevented when the threaded engagement between the front collarand the rear collaris tightened due to the interlock of the teethand, rotations in the roll and yaw directions might still be possible. For example, the tightening of the front collartoward the rear collarmight not be so tight as to prevent (e.g., via friction) relative movements of the ribof the front body partwithin the grooveof the intermediate body part, which is all that is required to effect a rotation about the roll axis. The same may be true of relative movements of the ribof the rear body partwithin the grooveof the intermediate body part, which is all that is required to effect a rotation about the yaw axis. In these implementations, two of three types of rotations (i.e., roll and yaw) may be accomplished after the pitch level is set and the threaded engagement of the adjustable mounting assemblyis tightened.

911 913 902 900 Alternatively, in some other implementations, the tightening of the threaded engagement between the front collarand the rear collarmay snug the front, intermediate, and rear body parts together tightly enough within the housingthat friction may prevent the relative movements discussed above. Accordingly, in these implementations, adjustments in all rotational directions must be made prior to tightening the threaded engagement of the adjustable mounting assembly.

By the term “about” or “substantial” and “substantially” or “approximately,” with reference to amounts or measurement values, it is meant that the recited characteristic, parameter, or value need not be achieved exactly. Rather, deviations or variations, including, for example, tolerances, measurement error, measurement accuracy limitations, and other factors known to those skilled in the art, may occur in amounts that do not preclude the effect that the characteristic was intended to provide.

The description of the different advantageous arrangements has been presented for purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the examples in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Further, different advantageous examples may describe different advantages as compared to other advantageous examples. The example or examples selected are chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the examples, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the disclosure for various examples with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

The above discussions relating to playback devices, controller devices, playback zone configurations, and media content sources provide only some examples of operating environments within which functions and methods described below may be implemented. Other operating environments and configurations of media playback systems, playback devices, and network devices not explicitly described herein may also be applicable and suitable for implementation of the functions and methods.

The description above discloses, among other things, various example systems, methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture including, among other components, firmware and/or software executed on hardware. It is understood that such examples are merely illustrative and should not be considered as limiting. For example, it is contemplated that any or all of the firmware, hardware, and/or software aspects or components can be embodied exclusively in hardware, exclusively in software, exclusively in firmware, or in any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware. Accordingly, the examples provided are not the only ways to implement such systems, methods, apparatus, and/or articles of manufacture.

Additionally, references herein to “embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one example embodiment of an invention. The appearances of this phrase in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. As such, the embodiments described herein, explicitly and implicitly understood by one skilled in the art, can be combined with other embodiments.

Further, the examples described herein may be employed in systems separate and apart from media playback systems such as any Internet of Things (IoT) system comprising an IoT device. An IoT device may be, for example, a device designed to perform one or more specific tasks (e.g., making coffee, reheating food, locking a door, providing power to another device, playing music) based on information received via a network (e.g., a WAN such as the Internet). Example IoT devices include a smart thermostat, a smart doorbell, a smart lock (e.g., a smart door lock), a smart outlet, a smart light, a smart vacuum, a smart camera, a smart television, a smart kitchen appliance (e.g., a smart oven, a smart coffee maker, a smart microwave, and a smart refrigerator), a smart home fixture (e.g., a smart faucet, a smart showerhead, smart blinds, and a smart toilet), and a smart speaker (including the network accessible and/or voice-enabled playback devices described above). These IoT systems may also comprise one or more devices that communicate with the IoT device via one or more networks such as one or more cloud servers (e.g., that communicate with the IoT device over a WAN) and/or one or more computing devices (e.g., that communicate with the IoT device over a LAN and/or a PAN). Thus, the examples described herein are not limited to media playback systems.

It should be appreciated that references to transmitting information to particular components, devices, and/or systems herein should be understood to include transmitting information (e.g., messages, requests, responses) indirectly or directly to the particular components, devices, and/or systems. Thus, the information being transmitted to the particular components, devices, and/or systems may pass through any number of intermediary components, devices, and/or systems prior to reaching its destination. For example, a control device may transmit information to a playback device by first transmitting the information to a computing system that, in turn, transmits the information to the playback device. Further, modifications may be made to the information by the intermediary components, devices, and/or systems. For example, intermediary components, devices, and/or systems may modify a portion of the information, reformat the information, and/or incorporate additional information.

Similarly, references to receiving information from particular components, devices, and/or systems herein should be understood to include receiving information (e.g., messages, requests, responses) indirectly or directly from the particular components, devices, and/or systems. Thus, the information being received from the particular components, devices, and/or systems may pass through any number of intermediary components, devices, and/or systems prior to being received. For example, a control device may receive information from a playback device indirectly by receiving information from a cloud server that originated from the playback device. Further, modifications may be made to the information by the intermediary components, devices, and/or systems. For example, intermediary components, devices, and/or systems may modify a portion of the information, reformat the information, and/or incorporate additional information.

The specification is presented largely in terms of illustrative environments, systems, procedures, steps, logic blocks, processing, and other symbolic representations that directly or indirectly resemble the operations of data processing devices coupled to networks. These process descriptions and representations are typically used by those skilled in the art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it is understood to those skilled in the art that certain embodiments of the present disclosure can be practiced without certain, specific details. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, and circuitry have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of the embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description of embodiments.

When any of the appended claims are read to cover a purely software and/or firmware implementation, at least one of the elements in at least one example is hereby expressly defined to include a tangible, non-transitory medium such as a memory, DVD, CD, Blu-ray, and so on, storing the software and/or firmware.